


Loki Does Las Vegas

by KieraPSI



Series: Loki Does Las Vegas [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Dom/sub Play, F/M, Gratuitous Smut, Light Bondage, Multi, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2017-12-25 11:25:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 126,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KieraPSI/pseuds/KieraPSI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki is awaiting the conclusion of Asgards' investigation into the true reason for his actions on Midgard. What is a bored god of Chaos to do when his so-called brother leaves him ensconced in a luxury suite in Las Vegas while he hares off to Europe to visit his Midgardian lady-love? Why, Vegas, baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chairman of the bored

**Author's Note:**

> This story features light bondage, dominance and voluntary submission as well as graphic sex. If you are under 18, get your parent or guardian's permission before reading this work. If you have issues with PWP (plot, what plot?) laden prose, you might want to reconsider reading it. If your idea of BDSM comes from 50 Shades of Gray or the works of Ann Rampling, you're in for a surprise. 
> 
> WARNING: The Dominant and Submissive relationship depicted is of the 'marshmallow' variety. While such does indeed exist and can be very beautiful, it is not typical of what you will find. 
> 
> BDSM is or should be about respect and honoring boundaries. If you are tempted to explore a D/s relationship of your own, do NOT expect all of the Dom/mes you meet to be so kind and thoughtful, though some certainly are. Beware: Many purported Dom/mes out there are not dominants at all; they are simply bullies. Some true Dom/mes practice Sadism. Both of these are very dangerous. Be certain about what you are getting into.
> 
> The heroine of this story is particularly gifted in reading people and has the protection of a goddess. You do not. Do NOT go off with a Dom/me who has not yet proven their trustworthiness. Do NOT allow anyone to practice bondage with you until they have proven their trustworthiness. "Playing" in the D/s world without following sensible safe behaviors is inviting disaster. Be careful out there!

Kat was bored, damn it. Yet another mind-numbing date from hell with yet another rising star of the corporate world. Her friends meant well, they really did. They simply did not understand that aggressive in the boardroom usually did NOT equate with dominance in the bedroom; in fact, most times it was exactly the opposite. She’d said good night before the dessert course and flagged down a cab to take her back to the condo she’d inherited from her mentor.

Located at the north end of Las Vegas Boulevard, past the airport; her condo was just down the street from the South Point Casino. It was convenient for quick meals, had some lovely restaurants and, oh; Miguel’s Tequila Bar. Yes, she could really use a margarita about now, and it was still happy hour. Two dollars for a margarita on the rocks with extra lime wedges and no salt, assuming she had to pay for it at all. The bartender was a close friend who loved to stare into her natural cleavage and would load her drink with more than the usual helping of tequila. If tips were good that night, he’d even pay her tab; sounded divine.

She directed the cabby to her new destination, paid the fare, leaning in his window as an extra “tip”. The man was grinning ear to ear as he drove off. After making her way to the elevator, she looked out across the casino floor with a sigh. Lots of locals and a few cowboys, as usual; oh well, she wasn’t there to find a bed partner. She’d had enough disappointment in that area this week.

Emerging, Kat was happy to note that her favorite table, tucked away in the back, was unoccupied. She stopped by the bar and smiled at Rico. He gave her outfit an appreciate whistle and asked: “The usual?”

“Of course,” she replied with a wink and retreated to her table, being sure to give her generous hips an extra wiggle for his benefit. He arrived with her margarita in record time.

 “Ah, mi amiga, one of these days you are going to stop my heart with that sweet ass,” he murmured quietly enough so that only she would hear.

“Hmm, and here I thought it was my tits that made your day,” she whispered back and laughed at his groan. “Easy, stud; Gwen is my best friend, and you know she doesn’t like to share.”

“You are an evil woman, Kat,” he said with a grin as he headed back to the bar.

Their ongoing flirtation was harmless. She knew very well that he would never give Gwen cause to doubt his love. More importantly, so did Gwen. Speaking of the devil, Kat pulled out her phone and dialed her bestie. Pouting as the voicemail picked up, she said, “Gwen, I swear. If you fix me up with one more boardroom dud, I’m going to have to shanghai Rico. Love you, babe!”

Tucking the phone away in her clutch, she sipped her potent drink and settled back for some people watching. The usual mix of tourists and locals didn’t spark any interest and she sighed as she stirred her drink. Where were the real men? Men who knew what they wanted when it came to women, and when they found a willing one, knew they could and did take it. There was no such man on Earth, or so it was starting to seem. She sighed again.

A stir in the crowd caught her attention. Several of the underdressed and overly made up girls on the make began to gravitate to the staircase. Kat scooted her chair a bit back for a clear view past the end of the bar. A man stopped at the top of the stairs and looked around regally…and that was no joke. He seriously looked as though he was surveying his domain; interesting. He was wearing elegant evening wear in a European style. The suit was black, his shirt snow white, the tie a dark green that matched her openwork crocheted over-tunic. He also wore a scarf in green and gold that would have looked effeminate on a less aggressive personality. Her lips curved up. Oh, yes. He was personality plus; the little sluts knew it and were overwhelmed, yet still drawn to him like moths to flame. She choked back a laugh.

He was tall and lean; his features were a little too sharp, his forehead a little too high and his mouth a bit too thin for him to be considered classically handsome, but damn, he was hot. She pursed her lips, considering. The way he wore his hair slicked straight back probably made his look a bit harsher than it would be if he wore it more naturally. He was smiling politely at the assortment of bimbos, and just as politely, moving past them without giving any one of them direct attention. Kat glanced around, wondering if she could pick out who he was there to meet, but she didn’t see any women that could possibly match him in elegance. A lone wolf? He’d stopped to speak to several young men and she frowned. Gay? Damn, what a freaking waste of hot man-flesh. Oh well, she had her drink to enjoy.

The man laughed at something one of the others said and she sighed. It was a bold, sexy laugh. Oy. Shaking her head, she picked up her margarita and took a good, long pull on the straw. She was going to need the hit of the tequila to deal with the thought of not being the right gender to have a chance at all of that raw sex appeal. Swallowing contentedly as the burn of alcohol began to slide down her throat; she replaced the glass on the table and plucked one of the lime wedges from its edge.

… …

Loki laughed easily at the joke one of the young men had made about the bevy of trollops that had gathered at his entrance. Looking the seated group over he guessed that they’d ‘struck out’, as they say, with all of the females. Ah, they were young; they had no idea what a ridiculous waste of time such strumpets were. A movement off to the side caught his attention. A slightly older woman, wearing a daring outfit for one so generously endowed, had her lips tight around the straw of her drink and was sucking up a prodigious amount of the beverage. Those lips, once she released the straw, proved to grace a mouth that was small and naturally pouty, in the shape the mortals called a ‘cupid’s bow’. After setting the glass down, she took a wedge of fruit from its edge and tilted her head back and took the flesh of it between her teeth, sucking on it. He stared in fascination for a moment then stepped back behind a pillar to watch her with far more discretion.

She was dressed in a short tunic of some openwork material. He smiled as he realized it was his signature shade of green. A gold collar-like necklace adorned her slender throat. Beneath the tunic she wore a very visible corset. He couldn’t see much of the lower half of her body, but short boots with modest heels encased her feet. Her reddish curls were abundant and gleamed under the light. He could imagine fisting his hands in them while…doing many delicious things to her. While the woman was a bit rounder than he usually preferred, there was something so overtly sensual about her that it mattered little. He wanted her and he would have her.

… …

Kat let the buzz of alcohol spread through her. While she’d not yet had enough to even be tipsy, it was still enjoyable. She could work on tipsy later. Too damn bad she had no one to drink with. She caught herself before sighing again. A moment later she felt rather than heard someone approach from behind her. “Good evening,” a warm voice said in a sexy accent that wasn’t quite British. “Is this seat taken?” She glanced up to see the hot stranger from the other side of the bar. Hmm, he probably wanted to take the chair over to the table of boys.

She shrugged. “Help yourself,” she told him, gesturing languidly.

“Oh, I will,” he agreed, sitting down after rolling the chair a bit closer to her. She blinked in surprise, recovered and smiled. The night was looking up! His hot gaze was almost burning in its intensity as he looked her over. She shivered as his eyes lingered on her cleavage and then on her hips. “Are you staying here?” he almost purred.

Goddess, that voice was almost enough to make her come right then and there. She shivered again. “Unfortunately no,” she managed. Kat hoped he was…she refused to bring a stranger to her home, no matter how tempting he might be.

“Hmm, no matter; I am,” he told her with a slow smile. She shivered yet again and felt her heart thudding in her chest. “Are you finished with your drink?” he asked. Kat nodded, her voice failing her. “Good, come along, then,” he said, holding out a hand. She took it and stood; he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and then hesitated. “Have you a tab to settle?”

“No, it’s…my best friend’s husband is the bartender, he paid for me.” Kat bit her lip as he looked sharply at Rico who was at the other end of the bar.

The man sighed. “Then I suppose you’ll want to say good night.” He smiled when she hesitated. “It’s all right. You should have someone know where you went and with whom.” Kat nodded.

They walked along the length of the bar. Rico looked up, his jaw dropping slightly. “Have a good evening sir,” he said respectfully as they passed. She frowned. This man must be some kind of high roller if Rico was being so polite and careful not to make any teasing comments to her. As she glanced back, Rico gave her a ‘thumbs up’.

… …

Loki smiled. The hotel had him booked into one of their penthouse suites reserved for their wealthiest guests…which he was. His photograph had been shared with the staff to ensure the proper respect and impeccable service. As he had no intention of harming the woman, it mattered little that the bartender saw her leaving with him. And it might make the woman more…pliable. Though if he was reading her correctly, that was not an issue; she didn’t attempt to impress him with idle prattle, another point in her favor. The subtle and expensive perfume she wore was applied lightly, just enough to enhance her natural womanly aroma. Good. He hated it when mortals smelled as though they had bathed in scents, regardless of their costliness. A woman’s natural musk should always be discernible. It was part of their attraction, after all. Her face, while enhanced with cosmetics, also benefitted from minimalist taste. Her eyes and lips were highlighted, but it didn’t appear that she’d caked coloring on her skin. She did, however, have a tiny stone set into her left nostril. It sparkled in such a way that it had to be a diamond. Her ears were also pierced, each with four diamonds of graduated size, the largest on the lowest part of the lobe; slightly daring, but not overly so. They entered the elevator; he swiped his key card and pressed the button for the penthouse. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her finely arched brows lift. He smiled and stroked the slender hand that was curled on his arm. Her lips quirked and she glanced up at him, still not saying a word. Apparently she knew what she wanted, and was willing to accept it without questioning him. Excellent. Leaving the elevator behind, he guided her to one of the four doors on this exclusive floor. Sliding the keycard once again, he pushed the door open and escorted her inside. He felt her shiver with anticipation.

Once they reached the center of the living area, he took her purse from her hand and tossed it onto the console table that stood against one wall. She watched it, but made no comment. Interesting. He grabbed her jaw with one hand, being careful not to bruise her, and kissed that tempting mouth roughly. She made no attempt to either pull him closer or push him away, but simply allowed him to claim her lips as she moaned in pleasure. Oh yes, he _had_ read her correctly. Releasing her lips, he asked, “Do you have any limits, woman?”

She smiled. “I walk out of here no less healthy than when I walked in. Try not to leave noticeable bruises; I do have a job to go to. I can take it rough, but I’m not into outright pain. Don’t destroy my clothes, I like them. I don’t do humiliation, scat or urine. If you can’t prove a lack of disease, use a condom, and if you’re into anal, you’d better use plenty of lube.” She hesitated. “My safe word is purple, and if I can’t talk I’ll either pinch you, or hum jingle bells. Oh, and I may be sexually submissive, but I don’t call anyone master, not anyone.”

“Demonstrate this ‘jingle bells’”, he asked. She hummed a few bars of an odd tune. “Got it. That’s it?” She nodded. “Done,” he told her. “What do you expect from me?”

The woman shrugged. “Pleasure, nothing more and nothing less; but be prepared to work for it. I’m told I’m insatiable.”

Loki laughed, delighted. This was going to be amazing fun. “You’ll have it.” He stalked around her, examining her garb. “Hmm, how does this come off?” he asked, tugging at the dress. She smiled and pulled the hem up. He took it from her and drew it the rest of the way over her head and off of her cooperatively raised arms. Her eyebrow rose, so he folded it neatly and set it on the sofa. The corset was sturdily made; it had to be to support her abundant breasts. It was of a black satin material, accented with gold metal pieces and just barely covered her nipples. From his view over her shoulder, the mauve buds were clearly visible and quite erect. A matching skirt was fastened over it. Finding hooks for that skirt in the back, he removed, folded and placed it with the overdress. She toed off her short boots and was now clad in that fascinating corset, thigh high stockings with a seam down the backs, garters, and a very tiny pair of dark green panties. Very appropriate.

Taking her by her plump upper arm, he led her over to a hassock. Moving both hands to her bared shoulders, he pressed down firmly until she moved to her knees on it then stood before her. He’d judged correctly, she was much too short to have her kneel on the floor. Loki tangled one hand in the woman’s dark auburn tresses, tilted her head forward until her nose almost pressed against the zipper of his pleated slacks and ordered: “Attend to me.”

The lovely chit actually licked her lips before reaching out to carefully tug down the zipper. The erection he’d found nearly impossible to ignore was revealed. She took it in one delicate hand with a sigh and pulled it free of the material. Her green eyes glittered the way some women’s did when they beheld jewelry and he could feel his muscles clench in anticipation. Not wanting to wait a moment more before feeling the heat of that small mouth on his staff he pulled her head forward sharply. “I’m waiting,” he growled.

She smiled and her wet pink tongue snaked out to lick a drop of pre-cum from the head of his now straining cock. Loki used every bit of his control to suppress a shudder of pleasure. His hand tightened in her hair as her even white teeth nipped him gently. He was ready to throw her back and finish in her like an immature boy…but no, he had promised her pleasure, and had accepted her challenge of satiating the supposedly insatiable. Hmm, that gave him an idea for later.

… …

Kat moaned at the feel of the silky skin of the large pulsing cock that her hand couldn’t quite encircle. His pre-cum was sharply salty, and she shivered thinking about what a full load would feel like shooting down her throat. Stretching her lips, she took the head into her mouth, but found his girth a bit too much for her to take in as deeply as she wanted. Ah, well; better for the main event. She moaned again as she laved the thick blunt head with her tongue and closed her teeth just behind the crown and tugged. His unwilling gasp of pleasure rewarded her effort.

It was her turn to gasp as he pulled out of her mouth, grasped her ass cheeks with the long fingers of his free hand and easily lifted her up. His hard lips plundered hers and she felt his straining staff pressing into the tell-tale wet crotch of her panties as she wondered how he’d managed to heft her weight, which was fairly substantial…with one hand? Yes, the other hand had never relaxed its grip in her hair. Her eyes widened and she moaned as his forceful kiss began to make her burn with need. The hand in her hair finally released it, and he used it to guide her legs around his slim waist. She crossed her ankles behind him and he used that same hand to support her back. The hand cupping her ass slid under her panties. Two fingers were unceremoniously plunged into her dripping core dragging another pleasured moan from her.

The fingers began thrusting urgently and she happily rode them. His tongue was copying the deep penetration in her mouth and she could not contain her whimpers. He pulled his lips from hers and his fingers from her cunt and chuckled as she moaned in disappointment. “It’s time for more, my sweet,” he murmured and his hand moved to guide his cock to her entrance.

“Condom,” she managed, twisting in his grasp.

“Only if I cannot prove I am free of your diseases,” he reminded her.

She sniffed. “That’s not…”

“Possible? Yes, it is. I cannot have any of your human diseases, mortal. I’m not human and am immune to them.”

Kat blinked in surprise. Oh, no. This delicious hunk of man-flesh was loony. How had she not picked up on it? She was a psychic, and a damn good one. “Right, okay. And you are…?” she left the question dangle.

His smirk was mischievous. “Loki of Asgard.”


	2. Realization

Kat stared at the hunky lunatic for several long seconds. Loki, right. Brother of Thor, currently off being tried for crimes against humanity. Sure he was. Frowning she realized that her legs were not what was supporting her weight…it was his one hand…still. No, it wasn’t possible. “Right; that would make me the Black Widow,” she muttered.

He frowned at her. “Hardly. You are a warm and sensual woman, that female is rather cold and calculating.” He shook his head at her expression and, still carrying her, walked over to the table where he had tossed her clutch. Lifting a newspaper from its end he unfolded it and laid the front page open for her to see.  A color photograph graced the front page with the headline ‘Asgardian Prince reported missing’. She swallowed. The photo was definitely of the ‘man’ holding her against his firm body.

Kat swallowed again. This…Asgardian Prince was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people in New York. She was in big trouble. “Um, you do remember the part of our agreement where I leave here at least as healthy as I walked in, right?”

He had the gall to laugh. “I do; and I will keep my word.” He shrugged. “I’m not missing, actually. The All-Father has…I believe ‘released me on my own recognizance’ is the Midgardian term, while he decides my fate.” Loki smirked. “I’m not about to have myself recalled by leaving broken bodies in my wake.”

“Uh huh. Um, if I’m not mistaken, aren’t you the god of Mischief and Lies?”

His expression darkened and her throat froze up in fear. “My ability to lie has been taken away for the duration. I cannot speak anything but the literal truth.” He flashed her that mischievous grin. “You need worry more about what I _don’t_ say.”

… …

“I’ll remember that,” she said. Loki waited, wondering when she was going to push away and demand to leave. He blinked when she lifted a hand and stroked his jaw. “Hiding anything else that should concern me?” she asked.

His Jötunn heritage should not concern her; he need not mention it to answer truthfully. “No.” Was the woman not going to reject him? She squirmed in his grasp and leaned tight against him. His eyebrow rose in surprise. “Are we good then?”

The woman chuckled throatily. “I’m waiting on you.”

He laughed and claimed those sweet lips for another deep kiss. His hand returned to the crotch of her panties to check her readiness. She was still dripping. Pulling the material aside, he guided her onto his ready cock and pulled her down hard. Shrieking, the woman’s head dropped back, exposing her long neck and pulling her plump breasts up and almost out of the corset’s grasp.

She moaned and twisted on his staff. He moved over to the back of the armchair and leaned her ass against it for support and used his now free hand to grasp that delicate throat. The woman literally purred as he squeezed just firmly enough to prove his control and then let his hand drift down to tug one full breast free of its confinement. The hand supporting her back was moved to cup her neck and he tipped her back so that he could capture a hard nipple between his teeth and tug sharply. “Yessssss,” she moaned and he felt her tighten around him.

Massaging the full globe roughly he began to thrust into her wet heat. She shuddered and gripped his arms, flexing her legs to press her crossed ankles into his back to meet his penetrations. At this rate he wasn’t going to last long. Damn woman would likely think he couldn’t satiate her. He chuckled as he continued to pound that sweet wet quim. She’d discover his recovery time was anything but human. He frowned as she reached between them and started playing with her clit. No…he was in charge here. “Oh, no, my sweet,” he hissed and abandoned her breast to capture both hands with his larger one. Glancing around, he finally eyed her necklace. He shifted from the chair to set her on the table and free up his other hand. Removing the heavy length of gold, he wrapped it around her wrists and concentrated. The metal twisted and reformed, becoming a golden rope that held her wrists securely. Her eyes widened. “You touch when I’m ready for you to touch.” 

… …

Kat stared at the golden rope that used to be her favorite necklace. “I’ll make it a necklace again when I’m done with you,” he told her as he lifted her bound wrists and dropped them over his neck. “For now it, and you, are mine to do with as I damn well please.” She groaned as he pulled out of her clinging heat and then yanked her soaked panties down and off of her legs. Then he drove back deep inside her and she wrapped her legs around his lean waist once more. As she gasped he grabbed her hips to lift her from the table and pulled her halfway up his thick staff; she screamed as he pulled her back down hard and fast. No one had ever brought her to the brink so quickly. His teeth were now scraping along the tendon that ran from behind her ear to her collarbone and she whimpered as he nipped his way to the nearby pounding pulse. Loki sucked the soft skin harshly, he was definitely going to leave a bruise and she damn well didn’t care. Her insides were quivering with the joy of his possession.  

Loki had stepped back toward the chair but this time sat on its high back himself. Supporting her with one hand, he used the other to uncross her legs and help her to twist them around so that her knees pressed in to the chair on either side of his narrow hips. “Ride,” he commanded and slapped her bared ass when she hesitated. “Now.” Moaning she flexed and lifted herself, then hissed as her cunt clung to his thick flesh. She rose high enough so that only the crown remained within her before she let her weight pull her back down. Her efforts were rewarded by his groan of pleasure. She smirked as his eyes closed and his head dropped slightly back. Her ass was slapped again to remind her of her task and she pushed in with her knees to rise and once again dropped back down, hard and fast. A dozen more slaps and attempts to ride that thick cock had her shaking with the need for release. Other than a few groans, he remained fully in control of himself. “You’ve pleased me,” he told her. “Shall I please you?”

Kat moaned as his hands cupped her now stinging ass. “Yesss,” she managed to hiss. He laughed and stood easily, turned and sat her down on the chair back. He then reached up to remove her bound arms from around his neck and carefully guided her to lean back until she was almost completely upside down on the chair back, with only her hips and widespread legs still upright. She whimpered as he pulled out of her grasping cunt. “Nooo, please…” she moaned then shuddered as the fingers of one hand spread her nether lips and her clit was slapped by the precisely placed fingers of the other. She heard a rustling sound as his slacks were dropped and kicked aside. The fabric must be soaked with her cum by this time. He still held her lips open with the one hand; the other had moved to take a firm grip on her ass. Kat shrieked as his teeth closed on her throbbing clit and nipped it sharply.

… …

His efforts were rewarded by a veritable fountain of cum from the woman’s hot quim. Her body was trembling violently as she came. He laughed and set to with a vengeance, licking and sucking the almost sweet fluid from her widespread folds. She began bucking beneath his mouth and her keening was music to his ears. He’d never had a woman quite this uninhibited and willing to give herself over to pleasure. That delicious nature needed to be rewarded. He rose and guided the head of his cock just past the entrance to her canal, then grasped her reddened ass with both hands and thrust in to the hilt. Once he’d repeated the maneuver several times and could judge how her body would move, he continued to steady her with one hand as he rubbed and pinched that amazingly responsive clit with the other. Her keening rose to a light, almost constant scream as he pounded hard into her exposed sex.

Loki laughed as her body bucked and twisted, arching off of the chair back. Her heavy breasts had dropped out of their confinement. He was looking forward to giving them some much needed attention. But first things first, he was getting close; it was time for a change to really take her over the edge. She whimpered when he held himself in at the apex of his next thrust and leaned over her to grasp the back of her neck to pull her upright. The woman was panting heavily, and staring at him with wide, amazed eyes. She gasped when he pulled out of her clinging flesh and then turned her over to hang back over the chair, face down this time. He shoved his staff back in unceremoniously and reached over to grab those swinging breasts. Once his grasp was firm, he resumed thrusting, squeezing the soft globes in time with his movements, hard enough to make her shriek with each thrust.

The woman was once again twisting and bucking wildly. Her moans and shrieks alternated, and every few pounding thrusts elicited a worshipful “Oh sweet goddess,” from her lips. He laughed and pinched her nipples sharply. Once she had shrieked and shuddered he abandoned the hard peaks and captured her slender neck in his left hand. She moaned and twisted and he felt her lips graze his other hand as he pulled it past her mouth. That gave him an idea. He tapped that small mouth with the index finger of his right hand until it opened. She sucked the digit in and moaned as she twirled her tongue around it. Did she know what he intended? Quite possibly…it would suit the wild creature, he was certain. She released his finger, wiggled her plump ass and muttered, “Please, please, please…” He laughed again.

… …

Did he mean to…oh, goddess, she hoped so. Kat wriggled her ass in anticipation as she released his long and now soaking wet finger. As she begged he laughed and she shuddered, thrilled that he was anticipating her so damn well. Kat felt the wetness at the puckered entrance and tried to relax her sphincter muscles, but the pleasure that ran through her made that task difficult. Before she was quite ready his wet finger thrust in. It hurt, but not enough to steal the joy of it from her and she squealed with delight. He pressed deeply in, his finger was long and lean in proportion with his tall body, and he easily reached the sweet spot and pressed hard. His free hand still grasped her throat, not firmly enough to cut off her air, but the sense of being controlled, of being forced to accept the extremes of pleasure brought tears to her eyes. 

The pounding in her pussy increased in speed and power. She had no idea how he had lasted this long. Kat had come three times already and was well on her way to her fourth orgasm. She found herself begging him for another finger. The first was withdrawn and then the thickness of two fingers pressed inside, slowly at first, then as they passed the muscle, were thrust in hard and fast. “Yes!” she screamed. “Goddess yes…” her voice trailed off into a sob of pleasure as he partially withdrew and then thrust his fingers in and out slowly rather than just pressing down deep inside her. His cock resumed its almost frantic pounding and her pussy clenched in anticipation. A deep shuddering began at her core, and she bucked helplessly as she tipped over into an almost mindless orgasm. He yelled as he began to come and thrust his fingers hard and deep, pressing in as he jerked against her, spilling his seed. 

… …

Loki was surprised to find himself breathing heavily as he held the unconscious mortal chit. He’d gone as all out as if she were a woman of Asgard, it was no wonder she’d fainted. He frowned as his breathing settled. Hopefully that was the only negative result of his passion, he had promised not to hurt the woman. Lifting her in his arms he carried her into the bed chamber and settled her on the bed. It wasn’t quite so large as his bed in the Valhöll, but at least it was long enough to accommodate his height comfortably. Many beds on Midgard were not.

He stretched the woman out and ran his hands over her damp body. Brain, lungs, heart, all fine. Digestive organs…what was this? There was some sort of obstruction in her reproductive organs. As it stood, this woman could never conceive a child. He grinned. “Well, we can’t have that now, can we? Midgard definitely needs more women of your sort for future generations. After all, my dear, it will be no doubt be decades before I can return here; Odin won’t get away without sentencing me to at least some prison time, regardless of the coercion aspect. Let’s just fix this for you, sweet thing.”

A healing working wouldn’t set off any alarms on Asgard, and the energies were subtle enough that any instruments monitoring for such on Midgard could not detect them. He held his hands over the woman’s abdomen and concentrated until the green glow that was the signature of his power flowed out from his widespread fingers and then settled into her body. She moaned as her inner organs rebuilt themselves under the influence of his magic. “You may thank me later, sweetness.” Loki couldn’t suppress the smirk as he imagined her outraged reaction to him interfering without her express permission. He had, after all, promised that she would walk out of here _no less_ healthy than when she came in. There was no guarantee made that she would not leave healthier than when she’d arrived.

… …

Kat frowned as she noticed the coolness of ultra-high thread count sheets under her cheek. She blinked in surprise and pushed herself up a bit. Her breasts had been tucked back into her corset and the golden rope was now twined around only one wrist. Loki’s hand was kneading her ass soothingly. Nice. She turned her head to look at him. He was lying on his side, leaning his head on one hand and was wearing nothing but a smug smirk. “Satiated yet?” he asked. She frowned at him. He shrugged. “It is a valid question, you did pass out.” Kat stared at his semi-hard cock and shivered. “I must admit, you are…” he leaned forward and took her neck in his hand again, he seemed to love that almost as much as she did. “Delicious,” he breathed.

She smiled. “Yes, I am delicious.” Loki laughed at her confidence. “And no, I’m nowhere near satiated…have you given up on that goal?”

“Never, sweetness. There’s nothing I love better than a challenge.”

“Good.” Her smile grew as he gathered her closer and began to play with the securely tied lacing on her corset. “I am dehydrated though.” His eyebrow rose and she laughed softly. “All of that panting and moaning tends to dry me out.”

“Mm; and you did much of that. Screaming as well, I recall.” His tone was smug, damn him, but that smugness was well deserved. “Shall I get you another margarita? That is what you had in the bar, is it not?”

“It was, but right now I need water. Maybe a snack…cheese, some kind of protein?” she suggested with a playful pout.

He nipped her protruding lower lip and released her to reach for the phone, then sat up. Kat slid over to caress his still semi-hard cock and cupped his heavy sac as he waited for an answer. She playfully poked the long round-edged nail of her pinky into the cum-smeared slit at its tip. He captured her hand in his and shook his head with a smile. “Not now,” he mouthed. Biting back a snicker, she waited for him to finish talking to room service. “You are an outrageous woman, are you not?” he asked as he replaced the phone on the nightstand.

“You wouldn’t want me half so much if I weren’t.”

“Hmm, tis true.” He tugged at the laces to her corset. “This has to come off…but perhaps after our snack has arrived. Meanwhile, I do believe it’s your turn to play.”

… …

Her eyes lit with anticipation as he levered himself to sit against the headboard, his legs stretched out and slightly spread. She immediately took his hardening cock into her mouth and sucked deeply on it, much as he had imagined she would when he had watched her enjoying that fortunate margarita. As his erection grew, Loki noticed she was having difficulty continuing her oral ministrations. He moved to push her off and had to laugh as she slapped his hand away. “So be it, wench, but if you choke it is on you.” Her hand caressed the fingers she’d slapped; he supposed to show appreciation for his concern. He let his head drop back and simply enjoyed.

Loki moaned as her skillful tongue managed to massage his now straining erection despite the fact that her mouth was stuffed beyond capacity. Memories of other talented lovers were swiftly becoming eclipsed by the actions of this one wild mortal female. She had his balls cupped in one delicate hand and was rubbing and gently squeezing them as she sucked and laved his swollen cock. He was fighting the urge to thrust up into her hot mouth…a fight he was certain he would soon lose. The woman had shifted herself so that she was crouched over his groin; her free hand was dipping into her own wetness. He’d opened his mouth to object when she removed it and slipped her now dripping hand beneath him; he felt her fingers playing with his anus. Groaning with anticipation, he lifted his backside slightly to assist and was rewarded with the torturous joy of two slender fingers pressing into the orifice. Those digits were long for such small hands, and the long, well-kept nails added to the length. He felt the hard tips digging into him and shuddered. She twisted her fingers around as she continued to suck his cock. A sudden coordinated strong thrust into his ass and squeeze of his balls finally defeated his resolve to remain still and he began to thrust eagerly into her already taxed throat. “Gods, woman…that…” he trailed off as he felt the need for release build. To her credit, despite her obvious discomfort, she continued to suckle and tongue his aching staff. As he thrust up into that oh so tight wet heat he ceased caring or knowing what she was doing. There was nothing left but the pleasure.

… …

Kat frantically sucked at the thick staff that was lodged in the back of her throat. It took most of her concentration to suppress the need to gag, but she was determined he would have a blow job he would never forget no matter how long Asgardians lived. His reaction to her anal play thrilled her. Some men were homophobic and rejected such fun outright…their loss. Loki was enjoying the hell out of it, muttering pleasured words and twisting to more fully enjoy the intrusion. His heavy sac was tightening, he’d come soon. She began to draw back on his swollen cock encouraging him to thrust to maintain the pressure. Too soon and yet not soon enough he began to spasm. His hands were tangled in her hair, holding her almost too tightly as he pumped his hips up to thrust deeper into her stretched out throat and then back down to impale himself sharply on her now stiffened fingers. His inarticulate cry made her tremble with want and the sudden hot gush of cum against the back of her throat pulled a moan from deep within her own need.

Finally his thrusting stopped, and she relaxed as he pulled carefully back. He hissed as she nipped the tip of his still semi-rigid staff as it passed her teeth. “You do not stop, do you?” he asked with an appreciative chuckle as he handed her tissues and the bottle of hand sanitizer he’d retrieved from the nightstand…apparently he’d set it there when cleaning up after her earlier faint.

“Mm, never,” she agreed as she cleaned her fingers. Kat knew she was smiling like the cat that had swallowed the canary. His hot gaze was amused and his smile grew as she licked a dribble of his cum from her lips. “My turn?”

He laughed outright and grabbed her thighs to tumble her back on the bed. He pulled her legs up to tuck her knees over his shoulders and delved into her already sopping cunt. His lean fingers squeezed her ass cheeks savagely as he tipped her back far enough to tongue her dripping canal. She moaned and shuddered, her back arching in an effort to move her sex closer to the promise of pleasure. Loki was good at this, no doubt. His tongue thrust past her rim and danced in and out of the swollen orifice. As she whimpered, he abandoned it and moved on to her eager clit. “Such a prominent bud,” he whispered, his hot breath on it making her shiver. His tongue whipped at it, making her twitch with each contact. Laughing, the fingers of one of his lean hands moved in to hold her folds apart and once placed, he began to nibble and suck with a vengeance. She was nearly upside down again and the blood was rushing to her head as the other hand reached down for her gravity-freed tits. He moved it from one to the other, squeezing them, rubbing roughly over the nipples, and driving her insane with the pleasure of it. Kat shrieked as he pulled firmly at a nipple, stretching it far away from her chest and then harshly twisted it just as he bit down on her clit. Fire ran from the savaged nipple down to her cunt and she could feel her juices squirting out to splash his face and soak her thighs. Loki laughed again and lapped up the wetness as though it were the finest cream. She shivered in delight. This was the lover she’d always dreamed of having.

Loki pulled her knees from his shoulders and turned her the rest of the way over until she knelt on the bed. He shifted to the side and pulled her, still kneeling, closer to the headboard. In one smooth move he was behind her and his already recovered cock was buried deep inside. “You, my lady, are just so damned irresistible,” he hissed as he began pounding inside of her. Kat laughed. Men had been telling her for years that she was insatiable…but if Loki was able to keep this pace up for much longer, he just might be able to accomplish the impossible! His hands grasped her breasts as he pulled her upright so that she was kneeling in front of him, her head dropping back against his chest. His height meant that his chin easily cleared the top of her head.

Kat groaned as he savaged her tits and nipples. Each thrust pushed her up along his tautly muscled body. She felt him fumbling with the laces on her corset and laughed as he growled with frustration as the bow knotted. “I want it off,” he bit out. He paused in his thrusting, leaned away slightly and she gasped and stiffened as a sharp knife appeared in his hand. Loki nudged her face sideways with his chin. “Easy sweetness; just cutting the laces, I can fix them later, promise.” He frowned as he kissed her cheek. “You weren’t concerned with the garment were you?” Loki sighed and pulled her off of his cock. She whimpered at the loss, but couldn’t stop staring at him with wide eyes.

… …

What in the Nine Realms had frightened the chit? She’d been glorying in the savagery of his love-making. “Do you fear weapons?” he asked. The woman shook her head. “Ah, you fear men with weapons, then.” A slight shrug. “Have you had to fight off a man with a weapon before?” Her eyes closed. “Easy, sweetness. Let me cut the laces then I’ll put the blade away, all right?” She didn’t respond. “Look at me,” he demanded. Her eyes flew open. “I want you to see what I’m doing, so you know you need not be afraid, hmm?”  He carefully pulled the laces away from the corset’s modesty panel and slid the double-edged blade beneath. It cut through the thick cord as easy as if through butter. The corset fell open and he returned the blade to its sheath hidden on the underside of the nightstand.  “All done.” Her eyes were wide as those of a startled doe. “Let’s take a break, shall we?” Not waiting for a response, he lifted her off of the garment and twisted to sit up at the headboard and settled her on his lap.

So strong in so many ways, Loki would never have guessed one little thing could spook her. He cuddled her against his chest and stroked her soothingly. “It’s all right, sweet lady. I can’t lie to you…I-I swear I’ll never hurt you.” He chuckled. “Well, not in a way you do not wish.” The woman looked up at him and smirked. “Oh, _that’s_ reassured you, has it?” Shaking his head he nuzzled her cheek. “Gods, you are a handful and far too good for the men of Midgard.” He looked down at her all but nude body. Her thighs and sex were sticky and caked with drying cum as were her arms, breasts and chin. “Let’s get the rest of this off and have a bath then eat. You’ll be all fresh and clean and I can enjoy dirtying you again, hmm?” The sweet chit tilted her head up and kissed his jaw. Loki smiled and shifted her down on the bed. “Relax, I’ll be right back.”


	3. Coming Clean

Loki set the bath to running and returned to retrieve his very sticky lover. She was curled up on the bed like a cat, her only attire the garter belt and thigh-high stockings. It was time for them to come off as well. The saucy wench uncurled herself and stretched deliciously when he sat down beside her. The lifting of her arms raised her breasts high. Loki fought the urge to attack the still swollen nipples and make her come yet again. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that she did need a bit of time to recover from her fright and to rest. But a bit was all she was going to get. Running a fingertip under her thigh, he encouraged her to lift it. After examining the garter fastenings, he undid them and began to roll a stocking down her curvy leg. She cooperatively raised the leg higher and out at an angle which, probably not coincidentally, exposed her sex for his viewing enjoyment. “Posing for me, sweetness?” he asked.

She smiled and arched her back a bit, causing those amazing breasts to jut out further. “Maybe.” He chuckled ruefully and tweaked her toes as he removed the first stocking from them. “Or maybe it’s a demand for more play.”

“Hmm. I’ve told you, we’re bathing first. Behave, wench.”

“Damn.” She raised the other leg as he set down the first. He decided to reward her cooperation and trailed kisses down the back of her leg as he rolled down the second stocking. She moaned and arched her back again.

“And where does this fasten?” he asked, sliding a finger under the garter belt, another garment in his signature green, it was decorated with black and gold lace. Her entire outfit seemed coordinated with him in mind. Odd. He frowned. Perhaps it was a setup? “Why all the green, sweet lady?” he asked as she turned over to expose the hooks that fastened the belt in the back.

She looked back over her shoulder. “Well, for one it’s my favorite color, it goes well with my hair and eyes. And emerald is my birthstone; I was a May Day baby.” Shrugging she continued, “And it’s not typical. Everyone seems to love blue, red or pink, maybe purple. Green is kind of rebellious, I suppose. But not just any green, it has to be a dark forest green. The other shades just don’t cut it.”

“I see.” He pulled the hooks out of their loops and let the belt drop open. Finally free of any covering, her plump ass begged to be touched. He ran a hand over its softness and his cock leapt to attention. Closing his eyes he shuddered, imagining burying his hard staff between those round cheeks. Hmm, she’d insisted on ‘lots of lube’, whatever that was. “So, about that lube you mentioned,” he asked, spreading her cheeks with one hand and prodding the puckered hole nestled between them.

The woman smirked at him. “In my purse.” She shrugged at his surprise. “I had a date tonight and I try to be prepared for anything. Obviously, he was a disappointment.”

“Obviously. Definitely his loss.” And my gain, he thought. “Wait here,” he told her. After checking on the bathwater and turning it off, he detoured to the living room and retrieved the small purse. How in the Nine Realms did she fit anything into it? He carried it into the bedroom and set it before her. She smiled up at him, snapped it open and removed a small plastic bottle. Taking it from her he read the label. It was something called ‘Anal Ease’ and was waterproof. Excellent. Loki looked up at her bright eyes and smiled. “You look like the cat that swallowed the cream, sweetness.” His eyebrows rose as she laughed. “What’s amused you?” He frowned. “Hmm, I’ve yet to ask your name…tell me,” he demanded.

“Kat.”

“What? Cat? No, my dear, not what you want to be called, I want to know your actual name.”

The wench laughed again. “Kat, with a K is my real name.”

Hmm, it suited her, still… “And the rest of it?”

“Just Kat. I legally changed it for business. You know, like Cher.”

“You’re an entertainer? Of what variety?”

Kat fidgeted on the bed. “Actually, I’m a psychic and energy healer. And what the masses call a ‘pagan’ priestess.”

“You’re…of course you are.” He shook his head, totally bemused. “Please tell me your religion isn’t associated with the Norse Pantheon.”

“No, Kemetic, I’m a priestess of Isis, the original mother goddess of magic, prophesy and medicine.”

“I see. Hence the psychic and healing practice?” Loki looked down her body, noticing a tattoo of stylized horns surrounding her navel which held a small gold disk on a piercing; the symbol of Isis if he remembered correctly. Kat nodded in response to his question. “Well, I doubt Isis would approve of me, but no matter. She is not here and we are. And now, I think, it’s time for that bath.”

… …

Kat smiled as he scooped her up off of the bed and cradled her in one arm. She was still not used to the fact that he was so many times stronger than human men, but damn, did she like it. She also wasn’t so sure that Isis wouldn’t approve of him. Loki had proven to be not just a dominating lover, but a thoughtful one. He turned sideways to edge her dangling feet through the doorway to the bathroom. A tub big enough for two with Jacuzzi jets running dominated the outer part of the bathroom suite. The water frothed with some sort of scented oil…lavender if she wasn’t mistaken. She sighed happily and rubbed her cheek against his collarbone.

The tub was freestanding but the top and bottom edges were flush against tile fixtures wide enough to hold decorative soaps and other items and strong enough to sit on. He’d set an ice bucket holding a bottle of champagne and two flutes at one end. Nice. Loki stepped over the edge and sat down, using his free hand for balance. She sighed as the steaming water enveloped them. “Hmm, let me get that hair tied up,” he murmured as he lifted her arm and removed the golden rope from her wrist. She felt an odd vibration and wondered if he’d used his magic to change its form yet again. Kat wriggled in his lap, which earned her a chuckle and a pinch on her right nipple. “Later, my kitten. Let’s get you clean first.”

He handed her a flute of champagne and held another. “To what shall we toast, my lady?” he asked playfully.

“Satiating the insatiable?” she suggested. “At least, I have every expectation now that you’ll be the first to manage it.” Kat pouted as he burst out laughing. “What? Have you given up already? I’m disappointed.”

“Not at all. I’ll toast to exceeding your expectations…as you’ve exceeded mine.”

After taking a very enjoyable sip, Kat laid her head back on his chest and watched him swallow. He set his glass aside and picked up a natural sponge that sat beside the soaps. He soaked it, then rubbed one of the scented ovals into it until it was soapy, then set the soap aside. Lifting her free arm, he ran the sponge along her shoulder and then down its length and then up the underside. With one hand on her back he encouraged her to lean forward and dealt slowly and sensually with her neck, upper spine and other shoulder. Kat sighed at the indulgent sensation. Damn, how she wished she could keep him for more than one night. She switched the champagne to her other hand so that he could wash that arm as well. He rinsed that arm and her back and tugged her to lean against his chest again. She sighed again. “This is…heavenly,” she whispered as he began applying the sponge to her breasts.

… …

He’d never seen a woman’s breasts float before. Of course, the women he’d been in the water with had never been so abundantly endowed and it had never occurred to him to wonder. Loki was certain that he liked it. Kat was happily sipping her second flute of champagne and her head was lolling back against him. Slight moans escaped her dreamily parted lips as he ran the sponge a bit roughly across her still distended nipples. Gods, he adored those nipples…and wanted them in his mouth again; but first things first. “Done, my pet?” he asked as he touched the nearly emptied champagne flute.” Her only answer was another rub of her cheek against him, but she allowed him to remove the glass. Loki reached down and lifted one of her legs and balanced her knee on the edge of the tub. Leaning forward he was able to soap it thoroughly and then return it to the water. Repeating the soaping maneuver on the other leg, he took advantage of her position to thoroughly, well perhaps overly thoroughly, wash that sweet swollen quim. He shuddered thinking about its heat and wetness.

Lifting her slightly, he soaped and rinsed that lush plump bottom and then settled her back down in his lap. Kat wriggled and he gasped as his erection returned to full attention. “Naughty minx. Feel what you do to me?” he asked. Her laugh was throaty and cut off with a gasp as he spread her folds and pinched her clit in retaliation. Hmm, that gave him an idea. “I think you’re clean enough. Let’s see what we can do about that challenge, shall we?” Kat grinned up at him as he lifted first one of her legs and then the other and hooked them over the sides of the tub. Her sweet ass was lifted an inch or so off of his lap and she leaned back helplessly against him. Reaching around with both hands he began playing in her now widespread folds. She squirmed and whimpered, but was unable to either remove her legs from the edges of the tub, or make any change in the pressure of his teasing fingers.

“Loki!” Kat moaned. “Please!”

“Please what, my pet?” he asked, letting the mischief color his voice. “Aren’t you enjoying this?” He pressed down on her clit, making her twitch and whimper then pinched it sharply. She shrieked but the sound faded off into a laugh.

“Yesssss. More, please…” she begged.

“Always.” He let the fingers of his left hand dance across her sex, prodding, stroking and teasing. Kat’s body was trembling, and with each sharp pinch her back would arch, thrusting those amazing breasts further out of the water. With his right hand, he reached down to her swollen canal. She’d be even tighter around his girth now, he imagined. He could hardly wait. Kat groaned as he thrust two fingers deep inside without any preparation, then arched her body again to draw them further in. “My sweet kitten does indeed like it a bit rough,” he murmured in her ear. She wriggled happily on his thrusting fingers and moaned her agreement.

He continued to thrust and play idly; rubbing his cheek on the silky curls he’d bound up on top of her head. The plastic bottle of lube caught his eye and he grinned. As if on cue, his sweet wench moaned. “More, Loki, please…I need, I need…” He laughed and abandoned her clinging canal. “Ohhh, nooo,” she whimpered. Don’t stop, please…”

“Make up your mind, my Kat. Did you not just beg for more? I’ll give you more, my delicious toy.” He moved his left hand behind her and lifted her soft bottom clear of the water. She gasped and grabbed the sides of the tub. “Easy, I won’t drop you.” Loki managed with one hand, barely, to pour a generous amount of the slick lube onto his fingers. It was clingy, so he didn’t lose much of it before his fingers reached her anus. Gently pushing one finger past her clenched sphincter muscle, he twisted it about until she relaxed, then inserted the other. Kat moaned and wriggled until he removed them then tilted her head back to frown fiercely. He had to chuckle at how the expression looked from that angle. “Just wait,” he told her, and laughed as she growled her annoyance. “Patience, my beautiful slut, you’ll have what you want soon enough.” He poured more lube on his fingers, almost, but not quite dropping the bottle in the process, then slipped both fingers back in firmly. Kat’s soft scream of pleasure rewarded him.

… …

Normally Kat wouldn’t tolerate a man calling her a slut, but with Loki…she could tell he meant it in a possessively proud way. And truth be told, she was being slutty, but only for him. There was just something about him that made her want to give him more than she’d given any man, or woman, ever. His hands curved over her hips now and he was drawing her down into the water. She could feel that thick cock prodding her ass and she moaned in anticipation. Her lovers only rarely received the privilege of having her anally. They had to have thoroughly pleased her in other areas first. Her anus was still nice and tight. He was spreading her cheeks wide and his jaw rubbed against her temple soothingly. “Relax, sweet Kat, relax for me,” he crooned. She let her lower body go limp to relax the sphincter enough to allow him entrance without causing excessive pain. He was so damn big, she’d definitely never allowed a cock this thick in her ass. It was going to be interesting. She shivered at the thought of the extreme fullness that would follow.

She gasped as he slowly lowered her onto his oh so thick length. Groaning at the painful pressure she twisted slightly in his grasp, grinding her ass down on him more sharply than he was trying to allow. “Such an eager slut, aren’t you?” he murmured.

“Only for you,” she breathed between moans.

… …

“Of course, pet,” he agreed. “You are my beautiful little slut and only mine.” He nipped the tendon in her neck. “No other man is good enough for you.” His hands grasped her hips firmly. “Ready, kitten?” Before she could answer he pulled her the rest of the way down on that thick, beautiful cock. She sobbed with the pleasured pain of it and twisted wildly, shaking in his arms as he laughed softly. His cool lips caressed her neck, jaw and ear as he waited for her to settle and be ready for more. As she relaxed, still shuddering, he tugged her feet down to either side of his hips. “Ride me, kitten,” he demanded. “Ride me good and hard, as if you don’t, I’ll take control and take only my pleasure from it.” He smiled as she moaned at the admittedly empty threat.

Kat pushed up into a slight squat then forced herself back down on his swollen staff. He groaned almost as loudly as she did. Her ass was so damn tight, much more so than he’d expected given her uninhibited nature. Loki smiled as she raised and lowered herself twice more; the lovely creature was whimpering and twisting as she moved. “Yes, sweet Kat, that’s it. Please me and I’ll reward you for it,” he promised. “What do you want love? Shall I finger fuck that hot quim? No?” he asked as she moaned. “Savage those amazing nipples?” Kat moaned again and he chuckled between his own gasps as she continued to pull and thrust her sweet ass up and down on his straining cock. He bit her shoulder sharply when she slowed in her movements. “No, no slowing down, kitten, I warned you,” Loki scolded. She dutifully impaled herself yet again, hard, and it was his turn to moan. “Oh, love, the things I want to do to you.”

“Where are your limits, my Kat? Will you take more than my cock, mouth or hands into you?” Loki smiled as she wriggled and twisted with her ass still fully impaled. “Oh, yes, I think you would. Ah, too bad I’m without my scepter; the base was so well shaped and would have made you squeal with delight. Her head dropped back on his shoulder as she lifted herself. He could see her delighted smile. “Ah, you like that idea, hmm?” She shivered and then forced herself back down even harder than before, screaming softly. “Oh, yes…I’m certain we have something about that can do the job. Hmm, the champagne bottle to start, once we’re done here, I think. I wouldn’t want to lose any to the bathwater.” Kat paused and gave him a quizzical look. “You’ve stopped riding, my naughty slut, you know what that means.” He lifted her and pulled her down fast and hard several times in succession. She screamed and sobbed, but her twisting and trembling told him it was with enjoyment.

… …

Kat couldn’t believe how close she was to coming, and he hadn’t even touched her tits yet, let alone her needy cunt. His offer to fuck her with objects thrilled her. Most of her lovers didn’t want to waste their time with her on toys; they didn’t understand that it would have made them more appealing. Loki seemed to understand everything about her. He really was her fantasy lover come to life. She’d lost count of how many times he’d slammed her ass down on his cock; apparently he’d given up on having her ride him…which was fine with her. Her leg muscles had been protesting, though it had all felt so good she’d been ignoring them. She was so fucking close she wanted to scream with frustration. Just as she was about to beg for his fingers, something, he managed one of those power moves that astounded her and stood with her ass still impaled on his throbbing cock; holding one hand on her stomach, he reached for the handheld shower head, turned it on to a hard stream and aimed it at her oh-so needy cunt. Loki turned her to lean on the edge of the tub, holding the water pressure directly on her clit until she screamed and began to buck, then moved it to pound directly into her empty canal. As the water began to give her the sensation she needed, he began thrusting his thick cock into her ass. The double assault was so…damn…good. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt herself thrashing wildly and felt Loki straining behind her as he came. Kat clutched at the side of the tub as her conscious mind began to fade. Sweet mother goddess, he’d done it ag…


	4. Private Little World

Kat blinked and looked around. Loki was sitting on the edge of the tile, his feet in the draining water, holding her cuddled in his lap. He glanced down as she took a sharp breath. “Are you ready to concede yet, my kitten?” he asked smugly.

Kat snorted. “Not even. Temporarily overwhelmed doesn’t equal satiated, you know.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t think so, but I did have to ask.” Nuzzling her cheek Loki stood. “Hmm, we’re not quite done here, I think,” he said, then turned her to pull her legs around his hips. “Hold on, Kat, while I set this up for you.” She frowned, wondering what he was up to now. He reached over to the towel valet rack and picked up one thick, folded towel and set it down on the tile that ran along the back side of the tub. “There. Now sit, my darling.” He sat her down on the towel and her eyebrows rose as he moved the glasses and the ice bucket to the counter across the room and returned with the half-full bottle of champagne. “Ah, now, feet here,” he told her as he lifted one foot and then the other to the edges, leaving her sex well exposed. Loki stepped back into the tub, between her legs, and moved to insert the mouth of the bottle into her.

“Oh, don’t waste the champagne,” she urged. “It’s so good.”

His grin was devilish. “Oh no, my pet; it won’t be wasted at all, simply enhanced with your sweet cum.” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Yes, once you’ve come for me once more here, we shall go have that snack, and enjoy it with champagne a la Kat.”

Kat laughed and then gasped as the cool glass of the bottle was eased into her. She shivered, eagerly watching it disappear inside her sex. He continued to push it in until she could feel the thicker body of the bottle stretching her rim. “Yessss,” she hissed. “Oh, Loki, that feels so…oh…” Fascinated, she watched as he twisted the neck of the bottle inside of her and gasped at the unfamiliar but delicious sensation.

… …

“You like that too, do you?” Loki asked. “Why am I not surprised? I think my darling slut likes everything.”

Moaning as he began to slowly thrust the bottle in and out she murmured, “If you’re doing it, I do.”

He looked up sharply. Her green eyes were avidly watching him fuck her with the cold glass bottle. She was beginning to shiver again. Loki wondered if her admission meant the chit had feelings for him. Did he even want her to? A chill ran down his spine as he tried to imagine returning to Asgard to never again hear her delicious moans and whimpers. He continued to thrust carefully with the bottle, not wanting to chance breaking it and hurting her. Her shivers had advanced into trembling, but at this rate he’d lose patience with the activity before she came for him. “More, my kitten?” he asked. Her eyes flew to his and a smile curved her sweet lips. “Foolish question, hmm?”

Loki laughed at her nod and settled on his knees before her. He caught one distended nipple in his mouth and sucked sharply, took its twin in his free hand and twisted it until she shrieked. Her response to the extreme titillation was amazing. Loki made a mental note for later to see if he could make her come by pleasuring her breasts alone. It would not be at all surprising at this point.  Her back began to arch and she was thrusting herself forward on to the bottle, nearly sliding off the ledge in the process. He moved to one knee so he could brace her in place with the other and continued torturing her bountiful breasts.

Deciding the bottle could take more abuse, Loki began thrusting it a bit more forcefully as her moans became almost constant. The thrusting of the bottle excited the effervescence of the champagne and it rushed up the neck and exploded into her already dripping quim. One of her hands gripped his shoulder and the other was fisted in his hair. Kat was bucking again; her moans had escalated into keening, and her body was curved into a tight arch and trembling violently. Loki laughed, delighted when she began shrieking his name and pressing her breast into his mouth. He pulled away as he felt her cum drench the bottle and his hand to watch as her sweet juices ran down inside to join the remainder of the champagne. “Ah, my sweet girl,” he crooned as she clutched at him, shaking in reaction. “Perfect, yet again.”

He settled her back on the tiled shelf and stood to return the bottle to the ice bucket. Once it was in place, he returned to the tub and dropped back down between her spread thighs. Parting her folds with his hands Loki tasted the delicious mix of champagne and Kat. Moaning appreciatively, he began licking and sucking at the sopping wet flesh in earnest, lashing inside her dripping canal with his tongue to get every last drop of the bubbly laced cum. Amazing. His sweet slut was trembling again and it made him smile. He grabbed the still soaking wet sponge to clean her swollen sex then used the hand held showerhead to rinse her off. She shuddered at the feel of the spray, though he’d set it to a diffused setting. “Don’t you dare come again, Kat, I’ve just cleaned you.” Loki laughed at her reproachful expression. “Later, my darling. Let’s go have that snack, and then we’ll go back to giving you that pleasure you need so badly.”

She sniffed disdainfully. “Do you think that you don’t need it?” she asked as he began to dry her off with one of the fluffy towels. He ignored her comment in favor of kissing her impertinent lips before continuing with his task. “Or is it that you’re not getting any pleasure out of all of this?”

… …

Kat stared as Loki stood abruptly and frowned down at her, his sharp edged features set in angry lines. Perhaps she’d pushed him a bit too far? He stepped out of the tub and grabbed a second towel and swiftly dried himself. “I think you know quite well how much I’m enjoying you,” he snapped. “And I shall leave it to your imagination how much I need it considering my circumstances.” He strode out of the room with a towel and came back a moment later.

She looked down at her feet and bit her lip. Honestly, she’d totally forgotten about his circumstances. He was trying to keep out of trouble while waiting to be called to account for terrible actions…the kind of actions that would get a human imprisoned for life in most civilized countries and executed in others. Yes, he would need this, and badly, just to remain sane in the interim. “I-I’m sorry.” He grimaced and tossed the towel he’d slung around his hips to the floor and pulled her legs up to dry them with yet another before scooping her up and carrying her from the bathroom. “Really, Loki; I’ve been enjoying myself so wonderfully that the rest of the world pretty much ceased to exist for me, I-I forgot why you were here.”

He sighed as he sat her down on the dry towel that was spread out on the couch. “So had I,” he admitted. “Thank you for that, it’s the first time I’ve been able to forget since I left New York.” Loki walked back into the bathroom and returned with the ice bucket and champagne flutes, set them on the table and then knelt in front of her. “Are you willing to help me forget again?” he asked his expression solemn.

Kat smiled widely. “You can count on it.”

“Good.” He looked at the hors d'oeuvre tray and frowned. “Now what, pray tell, is this?” he asked as he lifted a puff pastry from the platter.

“It’s a vol-au-vent, a hollowed out puff pastry. I think they’ve stuffed it with brie and garlic. Brie is a kind of soft cheese.” Kat smiled as he held it to her lips then took a bite. Yep, it was brie and it was still warm. She looked around the room and saw the room service cart. He must have just removed the tray before he’d come back to get her from the bathroom. “It’s delicious,” she told him. He frowned and finished the remainder and nodded agreement before he picked up another hors d’oeuvre.

“What kind of meat is this?”

“Beef, I think. It’s a barbeque riblet, but it might be pork.” He offered that to her as well and she bit half of it off; he popped the other half into his own mouth. “Beef, nice sweet and tangy sauce.” She looked at his elegant fingers as they hovered over another item. “That looks like a miniature lumpia. It’s a light pastry wrapper used to hold meat and vegetables and is deep fried. The reddish liquid drizzled over it is probably a sweet and sour sauce.” Again, he held it up to her and she took half and he finished the rest.

“More snacks, my Kat?” he asked as he refilled their champagne flutes after swirling the contents of the bottle gently. She nodded as he leaned back and handed her one of the glasses. “I have a new toast for you, my sweet. To being in our own private little world; far from the cares of the Realms around us.”

That was sad and beautiful all at the same time. She touched her glass to his and took a sip. The taste of her cum actually went pretty well with the champagne, even if she did say so herself. Setting the flute down on the table, she reached up to touch his jaw. “It’s an amazing little world. Thank you for inviting me into it.” His eyes lit up and he smiled, beautifully. Somehow making him happy had become important to her. She didn’t understand why, after all, she’d known him for only a few hours. Sure, the sex was amazing, but that…that wasn’t it. Kat bit back a groan. Don’t fall for the renegade god, she told herself sternly. His long fingered hand gently stroked her cheek and she melted inside. Was it already too late?

 … …

They’d finished most of what his Kat had called hors d’oeuvres. Most of them had been tasty indeed, particularly when shared with the delightfully naked woman who was now ensconced in his lap. She was laughing as they finished the last of the ‘enhanced’ champagne and her curls tickled his jaw. He could get used to this, he thought as he stroked one of her very generous breasts. The laughter trailed off into a light moan as he tweaked the seemingly always erect nipple. “Do these never grow soft?” he asked as he moved to tug its twin.

This moan was louder and she shifted slightly, rubbing her thighs together. “No, not really.” Thinking that this would be a perfect opportunity to see how quickly she would come from only titillation, he began teasing her breasts in earnest. He gave a particularly hard pinch and vicious twist to the right nipple which resulted in both a shriek and a worshipful look from his sweet slut. He could feel moisture dripping from that needy quim onto his thighs and the thought of burying his hardening staff in her yet again made him smile. He pinched the other nipple sharply as he roughly squeezed her right breast. Kat shrieked again and shivered. “Sweet goddess, Loki, what you do to me,” she breathed.

“Perhaps you should be worshipping me, my Kat. After all, I am the one giving you the gift of extreme pleasure.” She snorted and then moaned as he pressed both thumbs hard into her nipples while squeezing both breasts tightly. More hot liquid dripped into his lap and he chuckled. “Do you want more, sweet slut? All you need do is claim me as your god and vow to worship me.”

Kat glared at him even though her body writhed under his attentions to those gloriously large globes. “No, Loki,” she told him. “I’ve served Isis for several lifetimes now and she’s never let me down.” Her delicious lips curved up into a mischievous smile. “I think maybe you need to thank her for letting you find me.”

“Audacious minx. No, love; your Isis would want you to have someone far more suitable than I shall ever be. No matter. I have you now, and I will not waste that opportunity, regardless of whom it is from.” He shifted her slightly to the side and took one large nipple into his mouth to suck firmly. Her back arched as she whimpered.

“More, please…more,” she breathed. His long fingers roughly squeezed and twisted the other breast in its entirety and she ground her sweet plump ass down against his stiffened cock. Releasing it, he rubbed the palm of his hand rapidly back and forth across the straining nipple, smiling as she crooned her pleasure. “So good,” she moaned.

His thighs were now slick with her juices and she was rubbing hers together. Frowning, he slapped one with his open hand. “You will take the pleasure I give you, when I give it to you, not help it along,” he insisted after releasing the nipple he’d been enjoying. Her pout annoyed him so he slapped her thigh again. “Do not pout or I shall leave you without any pleasure at all.” Her eyes widened and her lips relaxed. “Much better, my Kat; now relax and enjoy. You will orgasm soon enough, my pet.” Again, she did as he commanded so he rewarded her by taking the other nipple in his mouth, biting down sharply on it before settling in to suckle it rhythmically. The other nipple was rubbed, pinched, pulled and twisted; each change of stimulation eliciting another whimper or squeal. Her back was arching again and she chanted his name under her breath. A fine trembling was traveling up and down her body as he released the nipple from his mouth with a ‘pop’ of sound and then grabbed both between his thumbs and forefingers and simultaneously pinched, twisted and pulled them viciously. Kat screamed his name as her cum gushed from her sex, soaking his legs and the towel he’d sat upon.

… …

He held her firmly until the shudders stilled, caressing her quivering flesh with even, gentle strokes. She’d never come so hard from anything other than clitoral stimulation. “That was amazing,” she finally managed. “May I have more?”

Loki huffed, but his lips twitched. “Of course; I did promise to satiate the insatiable.” He gave her a thoughtful look and then, with a speed and ease that startled her, bodily spun her over and around so that she was lying balanced across his lap. She jumped when the palm of one large, elegant hand connected sharply with her ass. “I don’t appreciate you attempting to do my job for me, my lovely kitten.” ‘CRACK’ His hand slapped down on the other cheek with equal force. “Here and now, you are mine, to do with as I will, so long as I honor your limits.” ‘CRACK’ She moaned as the stinging in her ass intensified, trying not to smile as she felt her insides clench with pleasure. Did he know what this would do to her? “Do you understand?” he demanded as the palm of his hand landed hard yet again.

“Yes, Loki, I’m yours,” she gasped as he spanked her no-doubt bright pink cheeks several times in rapid succession. Several more smacks, each with more force than most men could have managed without needing to take a break from the stinging such a ‘punishment’ would cause in their hand followed before the pleasure/pain made her squeal. “Yours,” she sputtered again, squirming under the ongoing rain of firm, measured blows. “Always yours.”

She shrieked as he brought both hands down on both cheeks simultaneously with the greatest force yet. Her cum squirted out, spreading across her belly as it splashed back from his thighs. Loki rubbed her tender cheeks, the soft caress a glaring contrast against the stinging heat that filled them. He used his free hand to tug her around until she straddled his lap facing him, resting her shins on the sofa, her cunt pressed down against his straining erection. “Yes, my sweet slut, you will always be mine.” The fond note in his voice made it more promise than threat and she found herself clinging to him.


	5. Trifecta

As he’d suspected, Kat had loved being spanked. Now that sweet soft ass was bright red and they were both soaked with her juices. His sweet mortal was still bright-eyed and eager for more though the night had faded into the wee hours of the morn. If he wanted to do the impossible, he would need to step up his game and do the one thing no other lone male, god or mortal, could do for her pleasure. He scooped her up and carried her with him as he retrieved the long silk scarf he’d been wearing earlier. Balancing her still no doubt sore ass on the edge of a chair he tied it around her eyes and then made an impromptu collar and lead with the long dangling end, testing the knots to ensure they would not slip. Kat moaned and wiggled against the chair’s cushioned back. Chuckling, he scooped her up again and spanked each cheek several times before setting her down on her feet. “Let’s see how truly insatiable you are, my darling. He gathered his magic carefully. Heimdall would surely feel it, but would not feel anyone being frightened or coming to harm, so would not look too closely. His main concern was that the Avengers, who were not aware that Thor had left him alone intentionally, might have built a device that could trace this great a use of his power. He shrugged and decided to go forward anyway. They’d eventually receive other reports of his location.

“Loki?” Kat asked as he bound her wrists back in front of her using the golden rope he’d transformed her necklace into then stepped away from her. “What am I supposed to do?” Ah, good girl. She did not ask him what _he_ was doing. Just the right combination of submissive and seductress; he had never met her like in all his years. Moving about to confuse her senses he made certain to cross his own path several times until she could have no clue where HE actually stood.

… …

Kat stood quietly, anticipation coursing through her thoroughly aroused body. She had no idea what he would do next, but she was certain it would bring her another amazing orgasm. Finally she felt his hand pick up the end of the scarf and the sharp tug as he led her forward. Loki had tied the scarf in such a way that even if she resisted, it would not slip and suffocate her, he’d obviously done this before. Who was she kidding? He was far too experienced at the subtle art of domination not to have done this hundreds if not thousands of time before. Loki was, to a submissive of her type, perfection. She followed without hesitation, trusting that he would not allow her to stumble over anything. “Good kitten,” he approved. Oddly, his voice did not come from the direction she’d expected. Of course, he could be holding the lead out to the side a good bit, he was so tall and his arms so long. Being a trickster by nature, he was likely trying to disorient her. “Straddle me,” he ordered and she felt his hand cup her thigh. Kat let him guide her onto his hard cock, hissing as his long fingers dug into her still smarting ass cheeks as he pulled her down firmly. “How does that feel, love?” he asked.

“So good.” His hands grasped her bound wrists and lifted them over his neck. She heard an odd sound, then his fingers were spreading her cheeks and one was sliding into her anus, coating her insides with lube. Confused, she stiffened. “I don’t understand,” she asked. Was he going to switch from her cunt to her ass in mid-fuck? She wasn’t a mysophobe and expected that he could use some of that magic he’d spoken of to ensure she was thoroughly clean inside, but it just didn’t seem to be his kind of thing. His other hand spanked each cheek to remind her not to try and direct the proceedings. “I’m sorry, Loki,” she said, unable to keep a smirk from her voice. He chuckled and spanked her again.

“You do enjoy that,” he purred as he slipped a second finger into her ass. She moaned in response and pressed herself down on his cock and back on his fingers as much as her bound hands and the secured lead allowed. Where had he secured it? Kat was more confused than ever. “Stop thinking,” he ordered as he forced a third finger inside and she complied with a shriek. He alternated finger thrusts and slaps to her already throbbing ass cheeks until she was rocking on his staff and moaning incoherently. “No, my sweet slut, not yet,” he told her when she approached the brink of orgasm. His fingers were pulled from her hole and his hands now grasped her hips, keeping her still. He waited with a patience she envied as her body settled down from the brink. “I have a surprise for you.” The purr was back in his voice and his hands moved back to her ass cheeks, first slapping them sharply to make her moan and then spreading them.

Much to her shock she felt flesh press against the well-lubed orifice. “What…how?” she mumbled, her brain scrambling for an explanation. She hadn’t passed out again; the door hadn’t opened since room service had come several hours ago. They’d been all over the suite, she’d have seen or heard someone else if they’d been there. “Loki, I’m not trying to direct…things, but our agreement was for you, not for…”

“And I am all that you are getting,” his voice said from behind her. She stiffened in shock. “Yes,” he agreed…with himself…from where he still sat on the couch with her impaled on his large thick cock. “I…we…are still only me.”

“How the hell are you doing that?” she demanded, trying not to hyperventilate. “That’s not…possible…is it?” Kat trailed off, confused and unsure. The man was a Norse god. Was being in more than one place at the same time a power of theirs? No, but wait; he was the god of Mischief, of Chaos. If a power it was, it was likely only his.

“It’s very possible, my beautiful slut…for me.” The voice of what Kat was now thinking of as ‘Loki Number One” assured her as his hands traveled up her body to tangle in her hair and tug her into a deep kiss. She groaned into his possessive mouth as Loki Number Two carefully pushed his cock slowly but steadily into her ass, his long fingers now buried in her stinging cheeks, holding them apart. It was amazing, and it was definitely him. The feel of that long and thick penis stretching her anus was pretty much unmistakable. Groaning again as Loki One ravaged her mouth with his tongue and teeth; she shuddered at the sensation of overwhelming fullness as Loki Two’s cock finally slid completely home. “Ready, love?” he asked from behind her.

Loki One released her lips so that she could answer. “Oh yes, please.” She heard a note of begging in her voice and felt Loki One’s lips smile as they caressed her throat.

“Good girl,” Loki One praised as Loki Two began to move in and out of her stretched out ass. She whimpered at the sensation of two extremely thick cocks filling her beyond capacity. They seemed to move with one mind, though if both were him, perhaps they shared thoughts? Hands slapped down on her ass cheeks sharply. “I told you to stop thinking,” he growled against the tendon that ran down her neck into her shoulders and then nipped it almost hard enough to break the skin. The next slaps pulled a groan from her lips as the deep stinging sensation accentuated the pleasure of the steady thrusting into and slapping of his balls and pubic area against the reddened cheeks.

“Oh, sweet goddess…Loki, so-so…perfect,” she gasped as she felt the internal pressure of two hard staffs rubbing against each other with only her anal and vaginal walls dividing them. Loki Two’s hands slipped around her body and took possession of her breasts, roughly fondling the large globes and intermittently pinching and tugging her swollen nipples. Kat shrieked as a particularly vicious twist made her come. Both Lokis stopped their movements and waited out the trembling wave before beginning to thrust in her ass and cunt once again.

“No, sweet kitten, not perfect, at least not yet,” Loki Two whispered from behind her ear. His hands still clutching her savaged breasts, he pulled her upright a bit and she felt the silk scarf’s tail being used as an impromptu lead tug her head slightly to the side and away from Loki One.

She frowned and Loki One slapped both ass cheeks again. “Stop thinking,” he hissed. She moaned and he pinched her cheeks instead. That got her attention. “If you do not stop thinking, all of this will stop instead; your choice, my darling slut,” he threatened.

“Not thinking, not thinking, please don’t stop,” Kat found herself babbling. Loki One’s hands gently caressed the heated skin of her thoroughly spanked ass and then struck the cheeks hard in reward. The lead tugged her head to the side again and she followed willingly. The crown of a semi-hard cock pressed against her panting lips.

“It’s still me, Kat,” Loki, for it was his voice again, promised. Three Lokis? Another slap to her ass reminded her to stop thinking. At this point the spanking was edging into truly painful, but it was still damn good. She obediently opened her mouth and the rapidly stiffening penis slid in. Moaning as it filled the small cavity and pressed against the back of her throat, she concentrated on moving her tongue around the firming length. It was fully erect and almost choking her when Loki One and Loki Two resumed thrusting into her cunt and ass and Loki Three slowly and carefully started fucking her overwhelmed mouth. Perfect, it was so perfect. Her eyelids fluttered behind the silk that covered them and she moaned as the sensations built up rapidly throughout her sensitized body. One of the long fingered hands tugged her blindfold off of her head and wrapped it and her hair up in a tight grip. Glancing up at Loki Three, some still active part of her brain realized he was the one holding the lead and her hair. He tugged at the latter as he noticed her focusing and she whimpered and gagged a bit as he thrust fully into the back of her throat for the first time.

… …

Loki groaned as the trebled sensations swept through them. The counterpoint to being able to split his essence to pleasure Kat in this way meant that he felt what his copies felt, every last thing. In battle this was dangerous; a death blow to one of his solid copies could cripple him long enough for an enemy to strike him down in truth, which was why he used only images of himself for that type of activity. But when it came to lovemaking…it was amazing. He could feel her vaginal walls squeezing tight at the same time he felt the stretch of her anal ring constricting the base of his staff. The slide of his cock against his copy’s cock was also doubled, and to top it off…his lovely slut’s hot wet mouth and teeth were stretched around him all at the same time. He/they continued fucking his wild, willing sub as orgasm after orgasm built, crested and released gushes of her fluid over his cock and thighs. While even his copies had the stamina of a god, there was only so much even he/they could take. Kat was held upright only by their grips upon her when Loki realized he was not going to be able to last much longer. Judging from the now constant waves of orgasmic trembling running through her lush body, neither was she. If this didn’t satiate his lovely toy, then he would hail her in all the Realms as truly insatiable. Another hard orgasm shook her; the pressure almost pushed him out of both her quim and ass. Nothing in any of the Nine Realms could measure up to this, nothing. “Mine, Kat,” he told her, hating the desperation in his voice. She had to be his, only his, no mortal could possibly give her so much, please her so much… _need_ her so damn much. His copies echoed his claim and her body began to jerk spasmodically as he spilled his seed simultaneously in her quim, ass and sweet, hot mouth. 

Her expression was dazed, but she hadn’t completely lost consciousness…yet. Cum dribbled from that bow-shaped mouth. He untied the scarf from her neck and she whimpered and her lips curved in a beautiful pout. He laid her back so that he and his copies could carefully carry her into the bedroom, all of them still holding her, touching her, caressing her damp, sticky skin. He stroked her hair as one copy retrieved wet washcloths from the bathing chamber and the other brought her a bottle of cold water. They lifted her and encouraged her to drink a bit and then laid her back down on the pillows. The cum was gently, lovingly washed from between her soft and still reddened ass cheeks as another cloth cleaned that swollen quim, her thighs and where the fluid had splashed on her belly. He used the third cloth to clean the cum from her chin, jaw, neck and even where it had dripped down onto her large breasts. “Loki?” she rasped tiredly. He was amazed she hadn’t fainted again.

“Yes, sweet Kat?”

“You win.”

It took a moment for him to realize that she was referring to her unofficial challenge. “What? You can’t possibly be satiated already,” he teased. “We’re just getting started.”

She groaned and gave him a narrow-eyed glare. “Don’t tease, Loki. I’m exhausted.”

“I know, love.” Her eyes drifted shut and he continued to stroke her hair gently as he lay down beside her on the bed. A moment later her eyes flew open.

“What happened to your…uh…I have no idea what to call them.”

“My copies? I no longer need to be three so I’m now one again.”

“I’m so confused.”

He chuckled. “I know, sweet lady. It’s a very old magic. Few sorcerers could ever manage it. I believe I am the only one still alive that knows that working.”

“Could a human sorcerer do it? Um, there are human sorcerers, aren’t there?”

“A few magic working humans are actually powerful enough to deserve the title, but no, they cannot do that, not the way that I can. My people have about thrice the density of yours. I can split myself into three individual bodies without sacrificing outer dimensions and still be fully solid and able to do anything one of your kind can manage. You must have noticed I didn’t do anything requiring greater than human strength while I was split?”

“You don’t seriously think I was capable of noticing anything in the middle of all that, do you?” she mumbled, seemingly barely awake.

That made him chuckle. “No, sweet Kat. Sleep my darling girl.” He let his fingers drift down to close her eyelids fully and send her into a deep restful sleep. Loki watched her for a few minutes, pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead and reached for the phone. He had arrangements to make before Stark and Banner managed to track down the location of the energy surge such a strong use of his magic had caused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't speculated what could happen if Loki could make his copies solid then I'm shocked...particularly if you've read and enjoyed this story so far. Yum and sigh.


	6. Pledges and Partings

“Son of a bitch, it’s gone.” Tony Stark glared at the holographic screens as if he could make the energy surge reappear through willpower alone. “Jarvis, did we narrow the location down any?” he asked his AI.

“Yes, sir. We have narrowed the source down to the United States of America, specifically the states of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.”

“Four states, four freaking states and two time zones. That’s a lot of territory, J; not good enough.”

“Apologies, sir. The surge did not last long enough once detected to narrow the search any further.”

“Shit. Come on, Point Break. You’ve got to have some clue where baby bro would be holing up. What does he like; deserts, mountains, beaches, big city lights?”

Thor gave him a disgusted look. “Loki will be found when he wishes to be found and not a moment sooner. You waste your efforts.”

“Hey, you’re the one who lost him. Whose idea was it to bring him back to Earth anyway? In what universe could returning a war criminal to the scene of the crime be considered a good idea?”

“Tony, we’ve been over that,” Bruce said tiredly from where he sat hunched over a stream of data. “They’re investigating extenuating circumstances and it wasn’t going very well with Loki on the premises. The people there kept accusing him of having undue influence on the investigators.”

“Right, so why aren’t they investigating here? Earth is where the circumstances occurred.” He moved more data around as he ran his mouth off. Contrary to popular belief, his ranting wasn’t just him trying to be funny or sarcastic, or anything. Throwing words out there triggered ideas, and sometimes those ideas paid off…in spades. “Nevada. Rock of Ages is in Las Vegas,” he mused.

“What?” Thor, well, thundered. Tony cracked himself up sometimes. “You have found my brother?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right, I _was_ calling him that. No, the stage show, ‘Rock of Ages’ is playing in Las Vegas. I’ve wanted to see it, haven’t gotten around to it.” He went back to manipulating data. “Damn it. Okay, Jarvis, focus all of our scanners on, um…Nevada and California. Loki would stand out like a sore thumb in Utah and Arizona. Well, except maybe Sedona, but that’s a long shot. We’ll focus on those two states and the next time he even uses a drop of the mojo, we’ll nail him.”

… …

He answered the door and allowed the hotel concierge who brought the items he’d ordered to remove the room service cart. “If you would just sign that authorization, sir,” the mortal asked. “We’ll update the records to transfer the remainder of your credit balance to your guest.”

“Of course.” He signed the voucher as Loki Odinson; the name the All-Father had insisted he use while awaiting the results of his investigation. Odin had also sent a good amount of gold with him and Thor to cover their expenses. Yes, the hotel knew exactly who and where he was. They’d even allowed him to tamper with their security footage to blur out his face and Thor’s automatically through a simple spell. Thor hadn’t told them he was required to stay put. Too bad. Thor shouldn’t have gone off to visit his scientist and left him to his own devices. “There you go, all set. I’ve added to the gratuity, though. The staff have all done a marvelous job.”

The concierge glanced down at the form and his eyes widened. “Thank you sir, that’s most generous. I’ll be certain to pass on your compliments. Have a good journey, Mr. Odinson.”

“Thank you. I wish it could be avoided, but I will make the most of it.” He closed the door behind the ecstatic man, picked up the parcel and returned to the bedroom. He hung up the women’s silk tunic and pants set on a hanger and laid the lingerie, stockings and jewelry box out on the dresser. Then he collected Kat’s folded tunic and skirt from the other room and placed them in the empty bag along with the under things and stockings she’d worn there, and set her short boots on the floor. Next he deposited the toiletries in the bathing chamber. The corset with its cut laces still lay on the floor. He’d leave that until just before he left as the magic to fix both that and the necklace would finish pinpointing his location for the Avengers regardless of how well Thor managed to misdirect them. Damned idiot should have let him disguise his appearance. If he had, the Avengers would not have known Thor had left his brother unattended. Loki sighed and looked at the sleeping woman. And he would have had more time with the oh-so-delectable Kat.

… …

“Wake up, my darling girl,” Loki’s voice purred in her ear. She blinked sleepily and struggled to focus on his emerald green eyes. “I have to leave shortly and we need to talk first. Come, now, wake up.”

“This is your suite, why do you have to leave?” she mumbled, totally confused.

“My use of so much power will have drawn unwanted attention. I can’t be here when the Avengers arrive or their sponsors will use it as an excuse to take me into their custody. Not only would that be exceedingly unpleasant, it would strain relations between Asgard and Midgard and your world will need our support when the true enemy finally arrives in this part of the galaxy.”

Kat sat up and leaned back against the headboard. “Wait a minute. You used enough magic to get the Avengers pissed off at you just for sex?”

“No, not just for sex; to win a challenge.” His lips curved up in a smug smirk. How he managed both smugness and a smirk in one expression, she wasn’t sure. “And it wasn’t just sex, it was an amazing experience.” She stared at him, wondering if that was his ego talking about how amazing it was for her, or if he had thought it was all that as well. “You,” he continued. “Are incredible, my sweet girl. I don’t think I could ever get enough of you. _”_

What do you know, it wasn’t just his ego. “I wish you didn’t have to go,” she admitted. “I’ll never find anyone half as wonderful as you. You just seem to understand everything I need.” Embarrassingly enough she felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes. “I wish you could keep me.”

“Oh, my sweet Kat, I have no intention of letting you go. Not for long.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Would you like to belong to me, forever and always?”

Oh sweet goddess, wouldn’t that be fabulous. Her fantasy Dom, come to life, to love and cherish her. But fantasies only took you so far. Still, there was no harm in admitting that she would love to belong to him. “Very much.” His beautiful smile rewarded her agreement and he leaned in to kiss her.

… …

He wasn’t certain how the All-Father would take this, but he really could not bear to let her go. It wasn’t just her submission or her seductive sexuality. There was just something infinitely precious about this wild mortal woman that he’d never come across in all of the centuries he’d wooed and won partners into his bed. “Kat, I’m very serious. I want you to pledge to me that you will be mine and only mine, now and forever, would you do that for me?”

Her eyes widened and that plump lower lip dropped just a smidge. “What good will that do? You have to leave, and I won’t have you anymore.” Kat’s voice was plaintive, and he could hear the tears at the edge of her control.

Loki took a deep breath. She did want him, every bit as much as he wanted her. “I will come back to you, I promise. I cannot lie to you. Please, love?”

She swallowed and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. He adored that little habit of hers. “Yes.”

“Then say it aloud, exactly as I will tell you.” He switched to the Æsir native tongue, one she could not hope to know, and glanced up. “Heimdall, bear witness, this is important.” Switching back to her Midgardian English, he instructed: “If you will pledge to me, say ‘I, Kat, pledge to be yours and only yours, Loki, now and forever’, all right?”

“Yes,” she said hoarsely. “I, Kat, pledge to be yours and only yours, Loki, now and forever.”

“Thank you, love. I, Loki of Asgard, pledge to be yours and only yours, Kat of Midgard, now and forever.” He smiled, both at her expression and at the wash of power that swept over them. He took a moment to kiss her thoroughly and then addressed Heimdall again in the language of his youth. “Please advise the All-Father at the next court, Heimdall.”

Kat was staring at him. “What is that language? It sounds kind of like Norwegian, but not totally.”

“Ah, the closest of your languages would be Old Norse. But yes, it’s a bit different even than that. It is the Æsir tongue, one that is spoken almost exclusively in Asgard. The other Realms all have their own languages.” He stood and gave her another passionate, albeit brief, kiss. “I must go.” Turning, he picked up her corset, ran his hands over the cut laces and concentrated carefully as they mended. He held it up for her inspection and then folded the panels and placed it in the bag on the dresser. Next he reached for the golden rope that was wrapped around one wrist. Unwinding it, he wrapped it around her neck. “Might I change this slightly, my love? I’d like to leave a bit of my power in it so that I might easily find you.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, sweet lady.” Concentrating again, he ran his magic through the rope, turning it back into a collar-style necklace and fastening it around her neck…with slight alterations as her agreement permitted. “There, all done. Now, this room is paid for through tomorrow morning and there is a large credit balance as well. Order room service, films to watch, anything you want, but please, stay here until Thor arrives. Will you do that for me?”

“He’s going to be here by tomorrow morning?”

A slight rumble of thunder caught his attention. It was too far away for Kat to have heard, but he recognized it as a warning. The Avengers had pinpointed his location. “Yes, probably much sooner. The hotel will release any remaining credit to you to do with as you wish. I’ve already left a handsome gratuity for the staff. There is a clean outfit hanging in the closet for you and clean underclothes on the dresser along with a small gift to celebrate our pledge.”

“You didn’t have to…”

“I wanted to, and I do what I want, sweet lady. Now, answer any question they ask of you with the truth. You do not know where I’m going or what I’m doing, so nothing you can tell them will endanger me, understood?”

“Yeah, but if they ask about the sex, I’m telling them it’s none of their damn business.”

Loki grinned. “That’s my feisty girl. Additionally, and this is vitally important. I need you to tell Thor what I did to your necklace and I need you to tell him exactly this: ‘Loki asked that you take a close look at my necklace and that it is extremely important’, got it?”

“Okay. Will it matter if the others hear me?”

Smart girl. “No. They will not see anything no matter how closely they look. Thor, on the other hand, knows me and my power and will know that you are important to me. I wish him to understand that.”

“Got it.”

 He wrapped his fingers around that slender neck, over the ornament that was now a collar in truth. “I love you, my darling Kat. Do not tell the Avengers that, it will only bring you trouble. Let them assume this was a casual encounter and that my gift to you is by way of a parting present.” She frowned and he forestalled her interruption by squeezing her throat gently. “ _It is not_. I fully expect to see you wearing it when I can return to you. Be well, sweet girl, I will see you soon.” He released her and turned to leave.

“Loki?” Looking back he wasn’t surprised to see tears now swimming in her eyes though they had not yet begun the journey down her creamy cheeks. “I love you. Stay safe, I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”

He didn’t trust himself to speak any further. Instead he nodded and then continued out to the living area. The thunder was much closer. “Yes, Thor, I hear you. Now stop it or you’ll give yourself away.” Shaking his head he muttered, “Idiot,” in what even he recognized was a fond tone of voice before porting not just out of the hotel, but out of the state.


	7. Missed Me by *this* Much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the actual plot commence.

**Missed Me by _This_ Much**

“Got you, you son of a bitch,” Tony Stark crowed. Thor tried his best not to glower noticeably at the man. “Well, damn. He _is_ in Las Vegas. Am I good, or what?”

“Come on, Tony,” Dr. Banner said. “You had no clue.”

“Maybe not, but maybe I did, just saying.”

“Is not this Las Vegas a very large city?” Thor asked as he concentrated on the sky near the area where he’d left Loki and forced the fronts together hard enough to cause thunder.

“It is indeed, Dolph, but I’ve got an exact location, we just need to set the GPS and he’s ours.”

“Dolph?” Banner asked, much to Thor’s relief. He most certainly did not understand the reference.

“Lundgren. Blonde muscular actor, well, kind of an actor, not a particularly good one. He played the Russian boxer in Rocky IV. You know; the one where Rocky jogged in snowdrifts and lifted boulders to train, Apollo Creed dies, song was Living in America, James Brown?”

“Ah. Got it.” Bruce picked up his bag of equipment and slung it over his shoulder. “I’m ready. Oh, and Tony? You really need a new hobby. This nickname thing is getting old.”

“Says the guy that turns big and green as a hobby.”

Thor groaned and wondered how the mortals had managed to concentrate long enough to determine Loki’s location. “I am also ready,” he said to forestall a continuation of the discussion. Surely by this time Loki would realize he’d been located and would have fled.

“Okay, blondes with blondes and brunettes with brunettes.” Thor stopped to stare at the Man of Iron who looked back at him as he activated his suit. “That means you grab Captain Spangles outside and I’ll take Bruce. My tech will agitate the other guy a lot less than your mystic mallet thingamabob.”

“Hammer,” Thor grated. “It is an Uru Hammer and its name is Mjölnir.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

… …

Kat sighed and flopped back down on top of the covers, naked as the day she was born, though a good bit cleaner. Her hair was still damp from her shower and she’d made use of the toothbrush and toothpaste she’d found, still in the packaging, on the counter beside the bathroom’s opulent sink. There was even a small container of antiperspirant. She figured he’d just asked the hotel to provide toiletries suitable for a woman as the latter was a brand that targeted women. After cleaning up she’d looked through the purchases Loki had made while she slept. A forest green silk tunic and slacks set was hanging in the closet. A front clasp demi-cup underwire bra with side boning to support her natural, thank you very much, E cup breasts, a garter belt and matching panties all in forest green trimmed in gold lay on the dresser along with a pair of nude silk stockings. Surprisingly, since none of the clothes she’d worn the night before had tags, they were all in her exact size. Must be some kind of magic, she supposed.

What had really shocked her was the jewelry box. It held four pairs of matched emerald earrings. Three were stud-style and the fourth a dangling beauty of a pair. Emeralds varied in color and clarity even more noticeably than diamonds. Matching this many was difficult and pricey. Her first reaction upon opening the box was that he was buying her off and goddess how that had hurt. Then she’d seen his note. It was very flowery and asked her to wear them in honor of their pledge and that he couldn’t wait until he could see them ‘adorning your delicate ears’. Kind of romantic, actually, and she would have kept it if the writing hadn’t disappeared as soon as she’d finished reading it. Damn magic. She snapped the box shut and set it on the nightstand. “Loki, you’d better have meant it ‘cause I’m going to be in a world of pain if you don’t come back to me,” she muttered. After staring at the clock for a good half hour she decided that she might as well nap until big brother showed up with the Avengers. Kat debated putting some of the underclothes on, or at least getting under the covers but decided against it. If the goons were going to march in here without being invited then they were going to be as uncomfortable about it as she could manage to make them. With that happy thought, she drifted off to sleep.

… …

“Huh. The balcony door is not only unlocked, it’s open. Jarvis, are you sure this is where the surge came from?”

“Positive, sir.”

“Anybody in there?”

“Yes, sir. Readings indicate the presence of one living being.”

“Just hope there aren’t any dead ones. Guys? You coming down here, or what?” Tony stared up at the roof where Thor sat perched with Banner and Rogers. Captain Amazing did a really graceful flip that landed him on the balcony beside Tony. Thor offered Banner an arm and then thudded down nearby before setting the scientist down gently. “Okay, I’m going in.” Did he just hear Thor sigh? What the fuck. Sliding the door open he stepped through, repulsers at the ready. Nothing. There was a half-open door off to the side. “J? Where’s the living being you promised me?” he said softly.

“Through that door, sir,” the AI told him as the door lit up on his heads up display.

He edged over to the door, pushed it open and strode in, Thor close on his heels. Rogers edged in beside them and froze. “Oh my Lord,” the soldier muttered. Tony grinned behind his face shield. A very naked redhead was sprawled out on the Cal-king bed, sound asleep; a very lush-bodied naked redhead whose very lovely breasts had to be at least a double-D…more likely an E cup. Rogers turned his back on the bed; the Boy Scout’s face was an interesting shade of red.

Thor turned and opened another door. Reaching inside, he pulled out what proved to be a bathrobe. The god strode over to the bed and covered the just beginning to stir figure. Wide green eyes blinked and stared at them as her cupid bow lips turned down in a frown. “About time you got here,” she said huskily then turned to look at the clock. “It’s been over four hours. What happened, couldn’t you read the GPS?”

“Uh, we were in Malibu and Air Force One was passing through So-Cal. We had to go off the coast and all the way up over Sacramento before we headed southeast again,” Tony found himself explaining.

“Don’t you hate that crap? Every time the President comes to Vegas, we’ve got a five hour traffic logjam. I’m lucky that my office is in Henderson so I don’t get stuck in it.”

“Your office? Huh, I didn’t know call girls had offices.”

“Tony!” Bruce scolded from the doorway as the Capsicle and Thor gave him confused looks.

“Actually, call girls do have offices; clients have to call someplace to schedule appointments with them. But their offices are in Vegas proper, mostly in North Las Vegas. I, however, am not a call girl, despite appearances. I’m a psychic counselor.” She stood and walked over to the dresser and picked up a small purse that sat beside a shopping bag. Snapping it open the woman pulled out a business card and tried to hand it to him and then slipped the robe on. He noticed that she didn’t bother to belt it. Her breasts were even more impressive when she was vertical. 

He started the process to remove the suit and looked at the card. “Uh, I hate being handed things. Bruce, buddy, could you…?” Banner sighed, took the card and held it up for him to read. “Uh, huh. ‘Kat’, ‘Psychic Counseling’, ‘Priestess of Isis’. ‘Weddings, Handfastings, and Naming Ceremonies’. Okay. Hey, it’s Vegas, whatever sells.”

“It pays the bills,” she said.

“So, uh, Kat,” he continued as the suit finished packing itself into briefcase formation. “Where’s tall, dark and psychotic?”

Her eyebrow lifted. “I’m sure I haven’t seen anyone fitting that description.”

Tony nodded. “Fine, let’s try this. Inky black hair, about so tall,” he said, holding a hand up to not quite the top of Thor’s head. “About so wide,” he held his hands apart to indicate his own shoulder span. “With bright blue eyes and a megalomaniacal streak a mile wide.”

“My brother does not suffer from megalomania, my friend,” Thor rumbled. “And nor…”

“And his eyes aren’t blue,” Kat interrupted. “They’re green.”

“What?” Tony stared at each of them in turn. “Uh, when he threw me through my own goddamn window he had blue eyes. Really bright blue, bluer than yours, Blondie,” he told Thor.

“Extenuating circumstances, Tony,” Banner said as he tucked the business card in the pocket of his dress shirt. “Remember Barton’s eyes, and Selvig’s?”

“Son of a bitch. You’re kidding, right?”

“Tis no jest Tony Stark. Though Loki will not admit it, Odin himself saw the evidence in him; though the thrall had already been broken by Dr. Banner’s other.”

Tony heaved a deep sigh. His whole righteous rant had just been turned upside down. “Shit. Jarvis, tell me you didn’t forward this location to S.H.I.E.L.D., please?”

“You had not ordered it be done, sir. They are, as of yet, unaware.”

“Coolness. Keep it that way.” Never let it be said Tony Stark was slow on the uptake. “Okay, Red, where is Loki? Be quick about it; S.H.I.E.L.D. will be getting reports of our arrival from the public, it won’t take them that long to put two and two together.”

“No clue whatsoever, other than not here.” She raised a hand as he opened his mouth. “Seriously; he purposely didn’t tell me so that I couldn’t be forced to tell anyone.”

He rubbed a hand over his face and glanced at the others. Thor was standing with his arms folded across his chest, wearing a smug grin. “What’s your problem, Point Break?”

The god shrugged. “As I told you; Loki will be found when he wishes, and not one moment sooner.”

“You shouldn’t have lost him.”

Thor’s grin widened into a full-out smile. “You are the one who said he was lost.”

The woman started laughing. “What? What are you talking about?” Tony demanded.

“I did not lose my brother. I left him _here_ , four days ago, when I travelled to Europe to visit Jane Foster. He would still be here if you had not taken it into your head to track him down and turn him in to S.H.I.E.L.D.”

… …

Kat cracked up. The look on the billionaire’s face was priceless. Captain America looked totally lost. Banner, not so much. The scientist’s wry grin suggested he appreciated the turnabout. “I don’t think I’d say put and wait for S.H.I.E.L.D. to come pick me up either,” Banner admitted.

“Why the hell didn’t you just say something, Thunderball?” Stark demanded.

“Captain Rogers had already called your supposition in. Would you have been able to retract it?”

“Shit. No, I guess not. Damn.”

Rogers looked embarrassed now. Not ‘there’s a naked woman in the room’ embarrassed, but ‘I let my friend down’ embarrassed. “Sorry, Thor; it was a gut reaction.”

“I know this, my friend. And in truth, I should have hidden myself from your sight. Loki did warn me such would happen. I was arrogant enough to assume I knew better than he how you would react.”

“So, you trust him?”

“Only when he gives his word,” Thor shrugged. “Though, at the moment, he is unable to lie, so anything he actually says is the literal truth.”

“Literal being the key word there, I take it?”

“Aye, my friend.”

“He even admitted that much to me,” Kat told them.  “And warned me to think about what he wasn’t saying.”

“He admired you, then,” Thor told her. “Else he would not have given such advice.”

“I guess the admiration was pretty mutual.”

“I’m still trying to figure out how you managed to keep quiet about knowing where he was,” Stark groused.

The giant blonde smiled “I can keep my own counsel. Loki would tell you that I am an oaf, and truthfully, compared with him, I am such. I am also headstrong and oft think with my heart instead of my head. Many think that combination makes me stupid or foolish. I am not. Too rash, yes, even too trusting; but I am no man’s fool.” The smile faded slightly. “Not anymore. I learned the lessons my brother sought to teach me.”

“Yeah, not to trust him.”

“No, Tony. To trust those who have earned it, to learn the truth before taking action, and to always, _always_ look to the reasons behind any action. These were valuable lessons and I am grateful for them. They will make me a worthy king once that time finally comes.”

“So, now what do we do?”

“Clear out of my bedroom so I can get dressed,” Kat suggested.

They’d all stared at her for a moment and then had headed out to the living room. “Come on, Cap,” Tony Stark teased the blue clad Avenger. “The girlie show is over.”

“Stark, that’s not funny.”

“No, but your blush was absolutely roll on the floor hysterical.”

Kat closed the door behind them and sighed.


	8. The Third Degree

"Wow,” Stark muttered as the bedroom door opened. “She sure cleans up nice.”

Thor glanced over at the bedroom door and swallowed. She did, indeed. Though it had what Midgard called ‘pants’ instead of a long skirt, it was quite reminiscent of the garb worn by noblewomen in Asgard. With the gold collar-like neck adornment and the green stones that now adorned her ears…his thoughts trailed off. Loki had to have gifted these items to the woman, this ‘Kat’; else it was too much coincidence to be borne. “You look lovely, my lady,” he managed.

“Thank you. Your brother has good taste.”

He grinned. His brother must have been very pleased indeed with this voluptuous mortal. Intriguing as full-bodied women were not usually his preference. “He does. I always seek his advice when choosing gifts. My taste is, well, somewhat lacking in elegance.”

She placed the store bag she carried upon a long high table near the door along with the small bag that Thor had learnt was called a ‘clutch’ then sat down in a soft chair. “So, I assume you have more questions for me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Steven Rogers stated, seemingly recovered from his earlier embarrassment. “We need details of your encounter with Loki.”

“Captain, I assure you that _you_ , especially, do not want details. Your cheeks would be permanently stained red from embarrassment and you would never be able to look a woman in the eyes again.”

Stark snickered and even the ever calm Dr. Banner hid a wide grin behind his hand. Thor felt a bit sorry for the captain, but not terribly much considering his haste in reporting to Fury’s people had cost his brother more time with this lady. “Perhaps you could omit those parts, my lady, and simply describe how you came to meet and accompany my brother to this suite.”

“Oh, ruin my fun _again_ , why don’t you.” Thor chuckled as her wink accompanied the statement. He liked this lady his brother had favored. “Fine, I was heading home from a very disappointing date and decided to stop here for a drink and to visit my best friend’s husband. He tends bar at Miguel’s Tequila Bar on the second floor.” She went on to detail the meeting; including a humorous story of how she had at first thought Loki might prefer men for his attentions. Thor didn’t feel it was his place to comment that Loki did not particularly care what his partner’s gender was, so long as they were sensual and submissive. “And then we finished our…um, fun, and went to sleep,” she finished.

“Okay, but when did he do the magic that was so powerful we were able to track it?” Banner asked.

Kat stared at the scientist. “I don’t know what takes a lot of power or what doesn’t. He did a few things to show off, I think, when we were taking a break.”

Thor narrowed his eyes. The woman was lying; she knew exactly what Loki had done. He looked at the others. No, they were not…what was the term? Oh, they were not ‘buying it’ either. “Can you tell us that it was something not harmful to anyone?” he prompted.

“Oh, definitely. Honestly, I’m not going to tell you what he did, it was, well, personal and none of your business. But we were the only people affected and I’m most definitely not harmed.”

“On a kinky scale of one equals vanilla and ten will get you arrested in most states, where does it fall?” Stark asked with a grin. Thor stole a look at Rogers; fortunately the too serious man did not seem to understand.

“Um, seven, maybe eight?”

“Holy crap; and I wasn’t invited? Geez, the guy throws me out the window at the top of my own skyscraper and then doesn’t invite me to the party? I’m hurt.”

“You don’t look hurt. Hey, if you were thrown out of a window, how come you’re alive and not a two point four billion dollar splat on the pavement?”

“Because I kept him talking long enough to get on the cuffs that let me call my suit…that son of a bitch,” Stark finished looking thoughtful. “He let me talk _just_ long enough to get the cuffs on, not a second more, not a second less. Somehow he knew, didn’t he?” he directed to Thor.

“I would suspect so, my friend. When Loki intends to kill, his target dies.”

“Agent Coulson didn’t die, even though we were told he did,” the captain said.

“Yes,” Thor agreed. “And yet you still report to the people who have lied to you twice, why is that?”

“Coulson was a very lucky man. The blade slid right between his right lung and the subclavian artery,” Banner told them.

“Dr. Banner, Loki is _the_ foremost expert with a blade in close combat in all of the Nine Realms. He never misses. At that range, if he did not strike an organ or major artery then he had no intention of doing so.”

“Son of a bitch,” Stark said yet again. He seemed to perpetually be stunned by Loki’s actions. Thor found him nearly as amusing as Captain Rogers.

“Since I don’t have anything else to tell you, can I go home now? I’m really tired. And no snide comments from the billionaire gallery,” she added, giving Stark a pointed look.

He raised his hands in surrender. “Cap? Can we spring her?”

Rogers sighed. “I guess so. We’ll need your address in case something comes up.”

“Fine, who has my card?” she asked, looking amused at Rogers’ unknowing double entendre. Dr. Banner surrendered it. She scribbled information on the back of the card and returned it to him. “Okay, Rico should be here any minute; I called him while I was getting dressed.” The doorbell rang. “Speaking of the devil.”

“Who is Rico?” Rogers asked.

“Rico Alvarez. His wife Gwen is my best friend, and he’s a good friend too. He’s the bartender I mentioned.”

Rogers opened the door to a man with light brown skin, black hair and deep brown eyes. “Rico Alvarez?” the captain asked him.

“Yes, sir; I’m here to pick up Ms. Kat.” He looked past Roger’s broad shoulders and grinned as he spied the redhead. “I’ve got Gwen waiting with the car downstairs, Kat, and permission to take you down the staff elevator and out the back. Someone saw these guys on the roof and the press is everywhere.”

… …

“Oh, shit.” Kat stood up and crossed the room. “I’m so out of here. Do you think you could keep my name out of this? I’m really an innocent bystander.”

Stark laughed, she’d kind of expected it. “Innocent? Well, not guilty of a crime at any rate, not in this state.”

“I resemble that remark, I’ll have you know,” she joked back. “So please? It’s your fault, you know. Well, yours and his,” she said nodding at Captain America.

“Yeah, sure. Tell you what. I’ll go down the main elevators and give them a load of BS while you make your escape, deal?”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark. You aren’t anywhere near as bad as I hear.”

“What, after all we’ve been through you can’t call me Tony? I’m hurt.”

“You would be if you tried to take me on. Get over it, Tony.” He laughed uproariously as she headed down the hall with Rico.

They’d made it to the staff elevator and the doors had closed before Rico spoke again. “I swear to God on high, amiga, if I had any clue who the guy was other than a VIP, I would have warned you off.”

“It’s good, Rico. He was actually exactly what I needed.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. He’s not at all like the papers say. Even the Avengers agree. Well, the ones in that room, anyway.”

“Huh. Hey, nice earrings. Those from, uh, him?”

“Yep.”

“Madre de Dios, are those emeralds?”

“They are.”

Rico whistled. “Man, I knew he was big money, but Kat, that’s…”

“I know.”

“What’s wrong, babe?” he asked, frowning.

“He’s the one, Rico. My fantasy, come to life. No one is ever going to measure up to him.” She ran her hand along the curve of her necklace, finding herself wishing that it was a collar and that Loki had given it to her.

“Hey, what’s up with your necklace?” Rico asked, giving her an odd look.

“Oh, crap; I forgot. We have to go back up there.”

“Huh? How come?”

“I made a promise. Take us back up; I need to talk to Thor again.”

… …

Thor was halfway out the door when he heard the service elevator doors opening. He waited, his eyebrows rising as Lady Kat rushed around the corner, followed by her friend. “Oh, good, you’re still here.”

“Yes, my lady, is there a problem?”

“I forgot to tell you something.”

“Ah, I shall call Rogers and Banner to ret…”

“No, this is just for you, Loki asked me to tell you. Well, ask you, really.”

Curious. “Ask me what, Lady Kat?”

“Well, one of the things he did was a, uh, transformation of my necklace into something else, and he had me promise that I’d tell you that and tell you that he wanted you to take a very close look at it.”

“Hmm; he did not say why?” He chuckled at the exasperated shake of her head. “Well, he is our god of Mischief, and this seems harmless enough. Will you remove it so I might examine it closely to satisfy your promise?”

“Sure, just a sec, uh; hm. Rico, can you find the clasp?”

The dark eyed man looked under her hair and paled. “Uh, amiga? I don’t see no clasp anymore.”

“What?” Thor watched as she turned the necklace all the way around her neck as she felt it carefully. As Rico had said, there was no clasp. “That…how the hell does he expect me to get it off?” she asked, sounding a bit miffed.

“Let me check, my lady,” he offered. Thor had to lean in close to examine the collar and studiously avoided examining her cleavage instead. Loki had to have known how uncomfortable this would make him. He frowned at the three etched designs decorating the gold, recognizing two of them all too well. “What is this symbol, the circle and wings, Lady Kat?” he asked as he straightened.

“It’s my personal symbol. The center is the symbol of Isis, it’s a circle held in horns. The wings represent that I’m her priestess, carrying her blessings to her worshippers.”

Thor had a feeling about this. Depending on how the lady felt about it, it could be a good or bad one. “Did you, ah, make any sort of pledge or promise to Loki of being faithful to him?”

Now the woman’s face paled. “Yes, he asked me to pledge to be his and only his. Why?”

“Did he make such a pledge to you in return?”

Bright pink spots arose in her creamy cheeks. “Yes, I know it sounds kind of silly, but it was very romantic and…”

“Did anyone witness this pledge?”

“Uh, we were alone.”

Thor frowned. “Heimdall,” he muttered.

“What’s a Heimdall? He used that word too, and a bunch of old Norse, at least I think that’s what it was.”

Sweet Yggdrasill. Thor repeated the phrase ‘Heimdall bear witness’, in his native tongue. “Is that what he said?”

“I-I think so.”

Oh, Loki. What did you do? Thor shook his head; actually, he knew exactly what his brother had done, what he did not understand was why. “We must change your plans, my lady. I must take you to Asgard, immediately.”

… …

“What? Hold on, what the hell are you talking about?” Kat fought not to hyperventilate at Thor’s very intense expression.

“I cannot explain, but the All-Father and Queen Frigga must see this,” Thor told her.

“Oh, no; I’m not getting him in more trouble for a harmless prank. I can get a jeweler to fix it; it’s not a big deal.”

“It is a very _big deal_ as you put it, but he will not be in trouble, I swear. Think. Loki knew this would happen. He wanted it to happen else he would not have had your promise to show it to me. Please, my lady, I must take you to Asgard. I cannot take no for an answer.”

She looked at Rico who shrugged. “Babe, how many people get to see Asgard?” he asked.

Snorting softly, she stared at the floor for a minute to consider. “How long would I have to be there?”

“At least a few days; more than that must be determined by our parents.”

Kat sighed and pulled her smart phone from her purse. “Rico, have Gwen pull up my calendar and cancel my appointments for the week. She can tell them it’s a personal emergency and I’ll call them to reschedule when I get back. Gwen knows my password, I haven’t changed it recently.”

“Okay, will do.” He tucked the phone in his shirt pocket.

“Come with me,” Thor said and led her back through the suite and out on the balcony. She had the satisfaction of seeing his wince up close and personal when he wrapped one arm around her and took to the air and she shrieked in his ear. Damn gods.


	9. Going, going, gone!

Loki grinned as he poked through the rooms in Stark’s Malibu mansion. He’d disabled the AI before entering and was now exploring at his leisure. It would be a while before the thing rerouted itself and connected to Stark remotely to alert him of what had happened. He liked the motor vehicles, he decided. They were mobile works of art. The array of armor was impressive as well and seemed to be improving with each iteration. There were several that were only partially complete. “Interesting,” he decided.

Touching a small pad on a workbench, he was startled when several holograms sprung up around him, including one of a keyboard. Chuckling, he worked the keyboard until he was able to hack into the security system for the South Point Hotel and Casino. Slipping commands through their protocols with a combination of Stark’s tech and his own magic was as easy as swimming in a quiet pool of water. The different video feeds flashed across the holographic screens until he saw the ones he wanted and selected them. “Got you,” he muttered.

In one, Tony Stark was in the lobby, dealing with a group of reporters, some with news cameras. The billionaire genius playboy philanthropist as he liked to call himself manipulated the press with an ease born of long practice. The man had them smiling and laughing at his sallies in mere moments. “I am impressed, Stark.” Another showed Rogers and Banner, making their way out a back entrance and into a dark van. The vehicle likely belonged, no, make that definitely belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D., he amended to himself as a bald, one-eyed man with dark skin and darker clothes held the door for them. Checking the final camera, he saw Thor talking to Kat outside the door to their suite. The bartender from the night before was staring at them in shock. As he watched, Kat handed the bartender the phone that had been in her small bag and then was led through the suite by Thor. Loki popped up the exterior feeds in time to see Thor gather her to his side and use Mjölnir to fly through the air with her, heading, he imagined, to the nearest Bifröst egress. “So pleased you remembered, my darling kitten,” he murmured.

An energy surge brought his attention back to his surroundings. The backups Stark had built into his systems had finally managed to restart the AI. Loki glanced back at the security feed in time to see Stark stiffen as he was informed that his mansion had an intruder. Loki began to laugh as the billionaire’s expression changed to chagrined annoyance as he was informed of that intruder’s identity. “Reassure Mr. Stark that I have not damaged his property, would you?” Loki said aloud. “And tell him not to bother rushing back. I’ll be long gone before he arrives.”

“You may tell him yourself, sir.” the AI said. “Mr. Stark has an open line.”

“Ah, Tony…may I call you Tony?”

“I don’t see why not,” Stark’s voice answered. Loki could see him on the screen striding towards the black van. “After all, you did throw me through my own damn window, we’re hardly strangers. Oh, by the way, thanks for letting me get those cuffs on first.”

Loki smiled. “You’re welcome. I _was_ trying to keep the body count down, you know.”

“So I’m discovering. What’s the deal with the busty babe?”

“No deal; I chose her as simply a lovely diversion. I was bored.” Not a lie; that had been his original intent.

“Nice try. You don’t buy million dollar earrings for a diversion; fifty grand, tops, for a suitable parting gift.” Stark arrived at the van and the doors opened. “Where’s Thor?” he asked the occupants, failing to mention that Loki was listening in on them.

Director Fury looked out at Stark. “I was hoping you could tell us. He just flew off the balcony up there, carrying a redhead.”

Loki decided to be helpful since Stark had acknowledged the saving of his life. “He’s heading for Puente Antiguo, if you want to appear to be more of a genius than usual.”

“Uh huh. You guys want to check the skies over Puente Antiguo?” said genius asked the people in the van. “Why?” he hissed under his breath.

“He’s taking my lady to Asgard for safekeeping.”

Stark turned abruptly and strode away from the van, ignoring the calls for him to ‘get your ass back here’. “Safekeeping from what?” the man demanded.

“From S.H.I.E.L.D., of course; they’re not as stupid as they sometimes seem. I won’t have them realizing she means something to me and hold her to draw me in. I _am_ trying to stay out of trouble, I’ll have you know.”

“Shit. Sorry about that. The damn Boy Scout reported my guess that Thor had lost you without waiting to clarify it. He’s sorry too.”

“I’ll believe that when it’s proven.”

“Whatever. Okay. Can he get off to Asgard before S.H.I.E.L.D. gets there? Why the hell did you tell me when I could run my mouth off without getting an explanation, Prancer?”

Loki growled his annoyance. “I know the reference, Stark, and I am not amused. They will be gone momentarily. It will be fun watching Fury scramble his people there and have them arrive just in time to see Heimdall draw Thor and Kat out of their reach.”

He watched Stark pull out one of his devices and tap furiously on it. A moment later an image sprang up. “Jarvis, send this one to my workshop, too. I think our friend there would like a front row seat.”

“Yes, sir,” the AI’s droll voice responded.

Loki grinned as an aerial shot of the rune covered stones near the town of Puente Antiguo opened up before him in time to show Thor landing on them and setting down a furious and disheveled Kat. “What kind of lunatic are you?” she yelled at his adopted brother.

“How are we getting audio?” he asked Stark.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. has equipment set up there, I hacked into it.”

“Ah, good.”

“I told you we needed to hurry, my lady,” Thor told the flustered woman. He turned away from her and looked to the sky, raising Mjölnir. Ah, Thor and his theatrics. “Heimdall! We need passage to Asgard! This woman has immediate business with the All-Father!”

Loki sighed. “There’s no need for him to shout,” he informed Stark. “Heimdall is all-seeing and all-hearing. Once his name was said, he would have focused on Thor and would hear even a whisper.”

“Yeah, well, Thor’s a bit over the top, but we like him anyway.”

… …

Tony watched, fascinated as a shimmering light enveloped the god and the woman. It was a bluish-white overall, but there was a faint hint of a very subtle rainbow within it. The light flared and the two were just…gone. “Okay, I guess that’s that.” He grinned as three SUVs pulled up and disgorged a bevy of agents. “Too late, so sad.”

He could hear Loki laughing in his workshop. “Is it not? Ah, what fools they look. Well, then. I must be going. Eventually they will think to check your property.”

“Yeah. Feel free to use the facilities, have a meal, whatever. I can keep them hopping for two hours, at least.”

“Thank you, Stark.” Tony frowned at the camera in his tablet. “Ah, Tony. Thank you. I’ll be out of here in half that.”

“No problem. Um, Steve has an apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Jarvis has the address and can make a key for you. Last I checked S.H.I.E.L.D.’s records; they don’t know he still has it. He’s just held on to it for nostalgia.”

“I’ll take you up on that. I shall even leave him a thank you note, though it’s a shame I won’t see him read it.”

Damn, Loki was funny as hell when he wasn’t psycho. “If I’m there, I’ll record it for you. Fury’s coming, Stark out.” He shut down the tablet. “Jarvis, save all of these records in a secure file, you know the drill.”

“Indeed sir; already done.”

“Stark, what the hell is going on?” Fury demanded.

“Uh, well, that’s a long story…let’s go get out of the heat and take a load off while I explain.”

… …

“Welcome, your highness,” Heimdall said, looking down at the woman he escorted. Thor shook his head in warning. The gatekeeper frowned at him then played along. “Who is the lady, you escort, Prince Thor?”

“This is Lady Kat, of Midgard. I must take her to the All-Father.” He took a deep breath, grateful that Heimdall was quick of wit.

“You are welcome, Lady Kat,” the man said with not even a ghost of the wryness on his face that Thor recognized in his voice.

“Um, thank you?” Kat responded politely.

Thor grinned as Sif rode up, leading his golden stallion, Fastmundr. “Ho, Thor! We didn’t expect you back so soon. What brings you home?”

He lifted the mortal up on the saddle and then swung on behind her. “We have urgent business with my father, Sif. This is Lady Kat of Midgard. Kat, this is Lady Sif, one of our greatest warriors and the greatest of our women warriors.”

“Our prince is trying to tell you that he is a greater warrior than I. Do not believe him,” Sif said with a good natured grin.

Kat chuckled. “Well, men do tend to have delusions about themselves,” she responded.

“Just so!”

“Enough, my friend; our business truly is urgent, I shall see you later.” He tugged on the reins and urged his mount forward, soon leaving Sif’s gelding far behind.

… …

Everything was gold. Seriously. The walls were gold. The hardware was gold, or at least it sure looked like gold. The floor was not gold, but gold was too soft for flooring so the floor was a gold flecked marble. People they passed in the halls wore medieval inspired outfits. Her new tunic set fit in fairly well, or would have if the pants had been a skirt. Guards whose armor was ornamented with, you guessed it, gold, bowed to Thor and opened a pair of white doors inlaid with even more gold. No wonder Loki hadn’t thought twice about turning her pricey necklace into a bondage toy. They entered a large room with a fireplace at one end. Fortunately, the gold overload didn’t continue in here. The walls were covered with what looked like watered silk. The floor was a beautifully patterned wood that was highly polished. The only gold in here, thankfully, were the pair of goblets and the jewelry worn by the couple that sat near the fireplace. “Welcome home, my son,” the aged man said.

Oh, wait. There was a gold patch covering the man’s right eye. “Thank you, father,” Thor responded. “It is good to see both of you.” Thor touched his fist to his chest and then strode over to the woman and bent down to kiss her cheek. His mother, maybe? She was older than Thor by all appearances, but nowhere near the age of the man who had to be Odin.

“What brings you home, Thor?” she asked. “Not that we aren’t glad of any excuse to see you. Where is your brother?”

Thor sighed heavily. “I erred and left him alone…”

“What did he do?” the old fart demanded.

“Hey. Loki didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t assume,” she found herself snapping out before she thought better of it.

“Is that so, young lady? And who might you be?” Odin asked in a far milder tone.

“Um, I’m, well, no one you’d be interested in,” she muttered.

“On the contrary, my lady,” Thor said. “Father, mother, this is Lady Kat of Midgard. I’ve brought her here to have you examine her necklace.”

Boy did that sound stupid, Kat thought. Odin frowned and gestured her closer then peered at it. “What is the symbol with the wings?” he asked after a moment. His frown was seriously putting her on edge.

“It’s my personal symbol,” she told him, deciding mentioning she was a priestess of a goddess from another Pantheon was just asking for trouble.

“Oh, dear,” Thor’s mother said. The woman sounded concerned. “Son, was there a pledge?”

“Heimdall did not tell you? He was called to bear witness.”

“He did not,” Odin almost growled. He sat back in his chair frowning heavily. Kat tried her best not to fidget. Thor’s parents stared at each other and then at him for several moments before Kat lost patience.

“Is anybody going to tell me what is going on? I really detest being clueless, particularly when I seem to be in the middle of it all.”

The pair gasped. “Thor!” his mother scolded. “She doesn’t know and you didn’t tell her?”

“Ah, no; I did not feel it was my place.”

“Odin, your son has become a coward.”

“When it comes to braving a woman’s wrath, a wise man chooses discretion,” he replied. “Nevertheless, she must be told, and Loki must be punished for this.”

“Wait, no. I agreed to come here because Thor told me Loki wouldn’t be in trouble. Did he lie to me?”

“I did not lie. I did not think this would be held against him.”

“Thor, bring that chair over for the lady,” his mother commanded. Thor hurried to do her bidding and gestured to Kat to take a seat. “Now; how do you feel about my son?” she asked.

“I’m as annoyed as all get out at Thor.”

“No, dear; I meant Loki.”

“Oh.” She debated lying, but decided that could make more trouble for both of them. “I, well, I know it sounds presumptuous, but I, uh…I think I love him.”

Odin snorted. “She _thinks_ she loves him. Wonderful. Perhaps tomorrow you’ll _think_ you hate him?”

“Husband; that is quite enough,” his wife told him.

Kat frowned, wondering if the name from mythology was correct or not. “Um, I’m sorry, but what should I call you? I’m feeling kind of rude here and I don’t want to address you as Loki and Thor’s mother.”

She laughed, and it was a genuinely amused laugh; thank the goddess. “You may call me Frigga. May I call you Kat?”

“Yes, of course. Um, Frigga, could you please tell me what is going on and why everyone is staring at my necklace?”

Frigga sighed. “You made a pledge to my son and he made one to you, correct?” Kat nodded. “May I ask what exactly you pledged; tell me word for word, please, it is important.”

Kat shrugged. “I said ‘I, Kat, pledge to be yours and only yours, Loki, now and forever’.”

“And did he say the same, ah, allowing for the reverse of names, of course?”

“Yes, but he added ‘of Asgard’ to his name.”

“Did you mean it? Do you truly wish to be his and only his and for him to be yours and only yours, and I do mean now and forever?”

“Well, yes. He’s…he’s amazing. He made me feel, well, perfect; totally needed, totally cherished, totally adored. No one has ever even come close to making me feel like I’d finally found the right person before.”

“You understand that Loki has crimes to answer for?”

“Yesss. Thor said there were extenuating circumstances, though.”

“There are and his punishment will be adjusted accordingly. But because he is still facing that punishment, he had no right to do what he has done.”

Kat had had it. “So are you ever going to bother telling me what in the name of all the gods and goddesses he damn well did?”

Frigga bit her bottom lip but couldn’t hide an amused smile. “Why, he married you, my dear.”


	10. Shortest Marriage in History

Frigga took in the young mortal’s shocked expression and pushed her further back in her chair. “Sit back and breathe,” she instructed firmly. The girl did as she was told, her lovely emerald eyes slightly unfocused as she stared blankly. “He gave you no clue, hmm? Ah, that boy; he does love his mischief.”

“I think marrying someone without making it clear that’s what you’re doing is a bit beyond mischief,” she snapped.

“True. But tell me, Kat. Are you really angry with him?”

Her anger visibly deflated and she sighed. “No, I suppose not. Annoyed, definitely.”

“He did not have permission to marry, let alone to marry a mortal, I will make the proclamation to annul it at this evening’s court,” her husband told them.

“What?” the girl asked, her voice shocked. “But, uh, it’s been consummated.” Odin shrugged. “You’d just…do that?”

“Odin, think this through. Loki cares for the girl. Do you not think this is a good sign?”

“He has once again flouted both law and convention.”

“Father, he has not. He honestly pledged to the girl before a witness, he gave her a valuable marriage gift and arranged for her protection. In what way did he flout our laws?”

“He must have his family’s permission to marry.”

Frigga and Thor gave Odin matching reproachful looks. “Did you not deny him in court, husband?” she asked. “To save yourself embarrassment, did you not say he was no child of ours?”

“That does not…”

“But it does, father. That makes Loki an orphan who need ask no one for permission to wed.”

“At the next court I declared him my son by adoption,” Odin grumbled.

“Good,” her elder son said. “But neither Loki nor I were aware of this, so he has still not broken our laws as regards his marriage.”

“She’s mortal.” Odin was going to be stubborn about this. Frigga smiled as a vision of a green eyed child with dark hair and pouty lips caught her attention.

“She must be examined, my husband. There is one circumstance where not even you can annul the marriage.”

Odin gave her his one-eyed glare and then that eye widened when he realized what she referred to. “Fine. Send for Lady Eir.”

… …

Kat’s head was pounding. Crap; she’d though her family was a mess, but Loki’s had hers beat by a mile. And his were immortal, or near enough. At least her family had the decency to orphan her a decade ago. She didn’t like the sound of this circumstances stuff. If it had to do with fertility, she was out of luck. Several polyps when she was in her early twenties had basically destroyed her fallopian tubes. It was handy, most of the time; she didn’t have to worry about pregnancy or load herself up with hormones to prevent an accident if a condom failed. “Who is Lady Eir?” she asked Thor.

“She is our goddess of Healing,” he rumbled as quietly as he was apparently capable of.

Huh. If they had a goddess that could heal, why would it matter if she was fertile or not? Oh. “Uh, Thor?” she whispered as Odin and Frigga held a private and very heated argument near the entrance to the room. The blonde giant got down on one knee beside her. “If they’re checking to see if I’m pregnant, I’m not. I can’t conceive at all.”

“Is there no chance you’re wrong?”

“It would take a miracle and they’re pretty rare, you know.”

“That, my lady, depends on your definition of a miracle. If it is as you suspect, you’d best hope Loki decides to show himself before the next court. It seems mother is losing her argument.”

“Unless he expects Odin to nullify it and he’s okay with it.”

“Would that sadden you, Lady Kat?”

She sighed. “Yes, yes it would.” 

… …

Thor felt bad for the woman. By the unguarded expression on her lovely face, she’d fallen hard for his brother. “I’ll return to Midgard and attempt to find him. Do not lose hope, my lady.”

“Thanks, Thor.”

He strode past his bickering parents and out of the Valhöll. As soon as he cleared the gates he used Mjölnir to take to the air and set himself down at the end of the Bifröst. “Know you where he is, Heimdall?”

“Loki does not hide from me this day,” the gatekeeper rumbled.

“Can you guide me? I must find him lest his marriage be annulled without his leave. Odin is determined that no Prince of Asgard should wed a mortal.”

The dark-skinned god’s brows rose over his farseeing golden eyes. “That bodes ill for your romance, my prince.”

Thor sighed. “It does, but I am far more concerned for my brother. If he loves this woman, it could make all the difference to his future. I will not lose him and I fear she is the key to his full recovery.”

Heimdall nodded. “Ask the Man of Iron for Prince Loki’s location. He is helping him find safe haven. I shall send you back to whence you came.”

Grinning, Thor clapped Heimdall on the back and entered the observatory to prepare for the wrenching journey back to Puente Antiguo. He appeared in the circle and dropped to one knee to catch his breath. A ring of dark clad S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounded the egress, the Hawkeye among them. “Friend Hawk, how fare you?”

“Cut the bullshit, Thor. Who did you take to Asgard?”

“That is Asgard’s business my friend. I may not share it with you.”

“I hear it was a traitor that was harboring Loki.”

“You have heard incorrectly. She was watching Loki in my stead.”

The man’s sharp eyes narrowed. “So he escaped from her?”

“He was not her prisoner. He left to evade you as he is not your business. Had you left him be, he would still be where I placed him.”

“Sorry, couldn’t do it, he’s a menace.”

“Well, then; you will excuse me while I seek to retrieve this _menace_ and return him home,” he said and lifted Mjölnir in preparation to fly.

“If you want to keep him alive, don’t bring him back next time, Thor. We’ve had it with him and his tricks.”

Thor let the hammer fall back to his side. “Do not threaten my brother, friend Hawk, lest I no longer count you as such. You do not know the full truth yet you choose to judge. I had thought you wiser than that. How many did you kill in the days leading up to the invasion, Clint Barton? How have you paid these debts?”

“It wasn’t my fault. I was controlled by that freaking scepter.”

“Exactly. Think you that Loki was immune to its influence?” Thor smiled grimly as Hawkeye’s face paled and his jaw dropped. “Where may I find Tony Stark? He can best help me return my brother home.”

A sleek redhead slid out of one of the dark vehicles and approached them. “Stark headed back to his tower in New York; the repairs are about done and he’s preparing for a reopening,” Natasha Romanov told him.

“My thanks, Lady Widow.” He turned away from the pair, twirled Mjölnir and took to the air.

… …

Tony sighed as he looked at the repaired floor and windows. Good as new. “It’s fixed, I see.” His heart stopped, just for a second, at the sound of the accented voice behind him.

“Jesus, Loki. Were you trying to startle me into jumping through the damn thing this time?” he wheezed as he turned to look at the dark haired god. “Why aren’t you at Steve’s?”

Loki grimaced. “His landlady saw me and asked too many questions. Since I cannot directly lie and she was too persistent to accept my evasions, I had to leave.”

“No shit? You really can’t lie?”

“I believe I just said that, yes.” His smile was actually charming. Who’d have thunk it? “You need beware what I do not say, however.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the warning.” He thought about where else Loki could hang out and came up blank. Although…hmm. “You know, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t likely to come here anytime soon. I’ve got a spare room you can bunk in and I can set Jarvis to warn you if you’re about to have unwelcome company.”

Thor’s little brother actually looked relieved. “Thank you, St…Tony. I don’t have so much excess power that I can afford to keep running. Having a chance to rebuild it would help immeasurably.”

“Sure, no problem; I’ll claim I didn’t know you were here, though, if you do get caught. Sorry, but I’ve got to cover my ass. They could fuck me over big time.”

“I understand and agree to your terms. I do not wish to cause you any more problems than I already have. I tread a precarious enough path in Asgard as it is.”

“Tell me what really happened.” It wasn’t a request and Loki shot him an accusing glare. “Hey, I carried a fucking nuke out of our world through a wormhole and destroyed the mother ship of your so-called allies. I think I’ve earned the explanation, regardless of anything I do for you here and now.”

The heat in those green eyes faded. Wait, they really were green? “You are right. I owe you this much and more. I don’t suppose you have any food about?”

“No. You like Chinese food?” Loki nodded. “Cool beans. I’ll order some in. Go have a seat and I’ll get the order made, then we can talk.”

… …

“Lady Eir is busy dealing with a training accident,” Frigga told the anxious mortal as she left the messenger at the door. “It will be some time before she is free, so let’s get you settled in your chambers. I imagine you’d like to rest after the adventure you’ve had.”

“Thank you,” the young woman said, sounding on edge. “That’s very kind of _you_.” The all but unnoticeable emphasis on ‘you’ and the heated glare the girl directed at Odin had Frigga biting her lip to hide her amusement. Fortunately her husband was in deep discussion with one of his advisors and missed it. She had spirit, this Kat did. It was no wonder her Loki claimed the girl’s hand.

“This way, my dear,” she said, leading Kat past the still oblivious All-Father and down the private hall. Several servants exited the chambers as they arrived, holding the doors for them as they did so. “Is all arranged?” she asked them.

“Yes, my queen,” their senior said.

“Very good.” They entered the chambers and Kat stopped a few paces in, her jaw dropping. Frigga smiled at the shock on the mortal’s face.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. Frigga watched her continue further into the sitting room, turn in place and stare at the elegant furniture and draperies. Kat wandered into the small study and Frigga hurried after her.

“Don’t touch the books on those shelves,” she warned the girl. Kat turned and frowned at her. “Those are Loki’s books of magic; some of them can be quite dangerous if you do not know what you’re about.”

“Oh. These are Loki’s rooms, of course.” The girl shook her head with a wry grin. “I don’t know why I didn’t realize that. Is he going to be okay with me being in his rooms?”

“Kat, you’re his wife. Where else would he expect you to stay?”

“I guess I’m still getting used to the idea. Besides, it looks like that will change at the next court.”

“I think not. My husband does not always get his way in such things.”

… …

Kat sighed and stretched out on the huge bed. She didn’t feel comfortable getting under the covers even though the servants had turned the bed down for her. The bathroom was even more gorgeous than the rest of the rooms. One thing Kat loved was opulence in her bathroom. There wasn’t much she could do with the small one in her condo, but she’d upgraded it as much as the space allowed. This one was heavenly. “And I thought the one in the hotel was amazing. Loki couldn’t have been impressed in the least.”

She rolled over and slammed her fist down on the mattress. This was so screwed up it wasn’t funny. She was married. Her! Yes, it was to the most amazing Dom she’d ever met. But he hadn’t really asked. “I am so stupid,” she muttered. He just hadn’t used that term, but he had actually asked, she realized. “Okay, fine, he asked, I agreed, but his supercilious prig of a father isn’t going to accept it. What an asshole.”

It would be a few hours before ‘Lady Eir’ would come to put the official nail in the coffin of her surprise marriage, then a few hours more before the court where the old bastard would officially dissolve it. Kat sniffed and sat up on the bed. She touched the ink around her navel and the small gold disk that was secured there by a piercing that comprised the symbol of her goddess, Isis. “Great Lady, I hope you can hear me while I’m in Asgard,” she whispered.


	11. Unexpected Revelations

Loki listened thoughtfully as he used the disposable chopsticks to eat the surprisingly tasty pan fried noodles. He’d finished telling Stark the tale of his problems in Asgard, the lies he’d been told all his life, and his subsequent fall into the void and capture, torture and mind control by Thanos, the Mad Titan. Stark had guessed from there that Loki had only minimal control over his own thoughts and actions; more than the humans, to be sure, but still, not enough for him to break free without help. He’d laughed when Loki told him of baiting Banner’s beast into providing the ‘cognitive dissonance’ as the mortal had called it, which had finally freed him. At that point Stark magnanimously (his words, not Loki’s) forgave him for damaging his floor with his body. Then the man had begun to tell him of his own issues. Oddly enough, their lives held strange parallels. “Have you forgiven Howard?” Loki asked as Tony fell silent.

“Kind of; I’m, unfortunately, a lot like him so I understand why he was that way. Obadiah, however, I’ll never forgive. He not only tried to kill me several times, he tried to kill Pepper out of sheer greed. He went too far.”

“And Ivan?”

Stark shrugged. “Him I kind of feel a _little_ bit sorry for. He had a brilliant mind and because of his dad’s mistakes he was thrown into bad circumstances and worse company. If he hadn’t damn near killed Pepper and Rhodey, I’d feel a hell of a lot sorrier for him than I can manage right now.”

“It all comes back to Pepper. Is she the one then, your true love?”

“Ah, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Why not?”

Stark took a generous swig of the amber colored whiskey he’d poured them both and then gave the glass a contemplative look. “I’m not so sure I understand what true love is. I know she means more to me than any other person I’ve ever met…any living person, at any rate.” The genius stared at the glass a few moments more, his deep brown eyes a bit unfocused. “How about the redhead?” he asked suddenly.

“Kat?” Loki found himself smiling. “Yes, she is. I hope.”

“You hope?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t told her everything; she may not want me once she knows.”

“You think she’ll reject you over the invasion thing?”

“No. I-I told you about my heritage.”

“Yeah, Frost Giant, but you’re not one physically, right?”

“I’m not physically a giant, obviously. But I…this is not my primary appearance. I really don’t know if I’m full-blood anything. When I learned of my heritage I thought Odin’s magic gave me this form, but when I was briefly stripped of all magic, this form remained available to me. My…my other form resembles a Frost Giant in many ways. It-it is…” he trailed off and shuddered.

“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“You have no idea.”

“My best friend, well, one of them, turns big and bright green; ends up looking like a neon Neanderthal. How bad can this Frost Giant thing be compared to that?”

Loki eyed him and snorted. “I turn as blue as Banner turns green and anyone I touch suffers from immediate frostbite if I feel threatened or simply overreact to something that angers me.”

“Ouch. Can you control it? I mean, can you choose not to turn blue and frosty?”

He tossed back the rest of his drink, enjoying the burn of the alcohol as it flowed down his throat. “So far, yes. I don’t know what might trigger a full change unintentionally, but I suppose it’s possible that something might.”

“So…what’s the problem?”

Grimacing, Loki debated telling Stark where he could stuff his incessant questions, but the novelty of a friendly and thus far nonjudgmental ear was more than he could resist. “The Frost Giants are little more than animals. Bestial, savage…it is…embarrassing.”

“Huh. Well, I’ve seen you be savage, but it’s been with a certain, um, elegance, refinement. Look, if the woman loves you, she’ll understand.” Loki sighed morosely. “Damn, Reindeer Games, she does love you, doesn’t she?”

“She wants me; I am what she needs, sexually, emotionally. But love? I do not know.”

Tony Stark was staring at him with narrowed eyes, his overall expression one of calculation. “Holy crap; is that spitfire  submissive? I mean, you sure as hell aren’t…uh, are you?”

“I most certainly am not.”

“Wow, I never would have picked up on that with her. She seemed so, I don’t know, strong, I guess.”

Loki chuckled. “The best subs are terribly strong in their day to day life, you know. It makes their sexual and emotional submission to the right Dom or Domme all the sweeter.”

“I did not know that. I’m aware of the community, of course, but I’ve never been directly involved. Too many people into S&M and that’s not my thing.” The man frowned. “Wait, how do you know about all this stuff happening here? Thor told us Earth has been off-limits to your people for centuries except under direct order of Odin.”

The mortal began to grin as Loki gave him a smug look. “I need neither the All-Father’s permission nor his precious Bifröst to travel from one Realm to the next.”

Tony drained the rest of his whiskey and started laughing. “You sneaky son of a bitch, that’s too…” he trailed off with a frown as thunder echoed through the tower. “There’s no rain in the forecast.”

Loki groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have another visitor; you’d best let him in.”

… …

Tony stood and headed to the door to his landing pad. Sure enough, there was Thor in all his over-the-top glory. “If it isn’t He-Man himself; come on in, join the party.”

The god frowned but followed him into the lounge. “I need your assistance, my friend.”

“Yeah, you know, this is getting to be a habit. Asgard is racking up a pretty steep debt with me.”

“This is mine own debt, Man of Iron. Asgard would not countenance it.”

“Oh really? Huh, ‘k, what do you need?”

“I need your help in finding my brother. We cannot wait for him to decide to show himself; the stakes are too high.”

He looked past Thor’s bulk to where Loki continued to lounge on the sofa, casually eating a helping of sweet and sour chicken. The younger god shrugged. “Huh, so what are you willing to give me for my help?”

Loki swallowed abruptly and shook his head, his green, yeah, green eyes alight with amusement. Bastard still hadn’t made a sound; he was going to let him string Thor along. Hey, it _was_ mischief. “Please, my friend. Things do not go as my brother expects, there were circumstances of which neither of us was aware. If he does not wish to lose his lady, I must return with him to the Realm Eternal.”

Oh, the Lokemeister didn’t like that. His eyes had darkened and he stood, setting aside the plate of food. “What would cause me to lose her, _brother_ ,” he snarled.

Thor’s expression screamed relief. “I did not expect to find you here, but I am glad of it.”

“Yes, well, I often do the unexpected; now explain.”

The big blonde shook his head, looking annoyed. “After disowning you in one court our father…don’t start, Loki,” Thor said as Loki’s face twisted in anger. “In the next court, while we waited here, he announced his official adoption of you. Therefore, when you married your lady, you did so without the permission of your legal family.”

“Which is against his precious laws; _damn_ him.” Loki sighed; he sounded tired. “So what now; I’m to be tried for that infraction?”

“I know not. What I do know is that Lady Kat is awaiting attention from Lady Eir; if she does not carry your child, Odin plans to annul the marriage at tonight’s court.”

“Why does he do this to me, Thor? One thing I wanted for myself, after all that I have been through. One _bit_ of happiness and he immediately works to take it away.”

“She is mortal. You know his thoughts on my Jane. He will not grant permission for me to wed her. I am barred from even contacting her.”

“Whoa, wait…Odin is the reason Jane Foster hasn’t heard from you?” Tony interrupted. Thor nodded miserably. “Shit. What a prick.”

“I’ve often thought so,” Loki agreed. “Thor’s his heir so I can see his concern there. But with me, it’s naught but a power play; no lady of Asgard, Vanaheim or Ljósálfheim would have me now that the truth is known of my heritage, there’s no reason for him to deny me marriage to a mortal. He seeks only to punish me for my existence.”

Both brothers were staring at the floor. Thor had no reassuring words for Loki; Loki, well that dude looked like he had no hope. “Um, you guys have any access to your legal code? Written access, I mean that I could scan and have my legal experts look at? Maybe there’s a loophole?”

“That is a kind offer, Tony, but the All-Father _is_ the law with very few exceptions. The only loophole would be if she was with child, but that’s highly unlikely. We were only together one night, and she, well, hmm.” Loki darted a look at Thor and then pressed his lips closed.

“Lady Kat told me that she is incapable of conceiving, brother. I am sorry,” Thor said in what was for him a quiet and subdued tone. Shit, Tony thought, there went that angle.

“I-I healed her, Thor. But it was halfway through the night, and it is highly unlikely the healing prompted her to be in a fertile state that quickly.” He shrugged at their matching looks of surprise. “She’d fainted and I was concerned. Though it had naught to do with our…activities, I felt generous and wished to see her whole.”

“Damn, is she that good?”

“Cease your speculation, Stark. She is mine and it is not for you to know.”

“Cool your jets, Bambi. No offense intended. So, Thor, what’s our play?” Loki was glaring at him again, probably because of the Bambi reference.

“The only ‘play’ as you put it is for Loki to return with me to Asgard and to appear at court to contest the dissolution of the marriage.”

“Will that help?”

“It cannot hurt. I will stand for him and join the protest. More importantly, our mother will do so as well. She is not happy with the All-Father.”

“She, at least, has always shown me love,” Loki said softly. “But Thor, I cannot return with you. If he knows I am there, he will have me detained to keep me from petitioning him at court. I will make my own way to Asgard. Know you where they have placed my lady?”

“Mother told me she would escort her to your chambers. Where else would your wife stay?”

… …

Kat woke to a loud knocking. She stared at unfamiliar curtains around the bed in a deep green pulled back with gold drapery ties. Asgard, Loki’s chambers. Oh, crap. The door opened and she heard two voices in the other room. “She’s probably napping, poor thing,” Frigga said. “This has to have been a most difficult day for her.”

She slid to the side of the bed and stood, adjusting her clothing. “I’m awake,” she called out as she half walked, half staggered to the bedroom door. Frigga and another woman, this one with golden brown hair, waited for her.

“Did you nap well?” Frigga asked politely. Kat nodded and Frigga smiled. “Good. This is Lady Eir, our goddess of Healing. Eir, this is Kat, my Loki’s intended.”

Kat decided to refrain from questioning the use of the phrase ‘intended’ instead of ‘wife’. Frigga seemed to be on her side, making waves with her was _so_ not a good idea. “I’m pleased to meet you, Lady Eir,” she said instead.

“Likewise, Lady Kat. Do you know why I’m here?” she asked.

“Yes, but you can save the effort. I’m not pregnant. I had an illness and I can’t ever have children.” She turned away from them and dropped into a chair. “It’s hopeless, Odin is going to send me back home and I’ll never see Loki again.” Kat refused to cry. She hated to sound so negative, but her meditation and prayers hadn’t even garnered the sense of ‘listening’ she was normally given. It appeared that because Kat was in a Realm belonging to another Pantheon, Isis was blocked from hearing her priestess. Damn, this sucked!

She felt one of the women hovering over her. A glance up revealed Eir holding her hands out with an intense look of concentration on her fine-boned face. “I see no evidence of this illness,” she finally said.

“I’m not ill now. I was ill about eight years ago and my fallopian tubes were pretty much destroyed.”

The goddess’s expression shifted to confusion and she concentrated again. “No, there is not a thing wrong with your fallopian tubes, or any other part of you. Ah, I see. A healing was worked within the last day. I can feel the newly regenerated tissue.”

“Loki does have access to his healing magic,” Frigga offered.

“I think I’d know if he’d…” Kat trailed off. She had been unconscious, twice, no less. “Huh. Um, could he do it while I was asleep?”

“Of course. If you were awake when he began it, it would put you to sleep.”

“Oh. That sneaky bugger,” she muttered.

Frigga’s head tilted. “In what way, dear?”

“It’s my own fault. I asked for his word that I would leave no less healthy than when I arrived. I didn’t say anything about not leaving more healthy. What’s annoying is that he specifically warned me that he’d tell the literal truth and I had to be concerned with what wasn’t said. I was really careful about what he did and didn’t say, but forgot the reverse would apply; absolutely stupid of me.”

“I am sorry, my lady. But I understood from my queen that you love her son and wished the marriage to stand,” Lady Eir said.

“Well, yeah.”

“Then perhaps it was not so stupid a thing after all. You did not make this specification, he did heal you, and you are with child. From the mix of races I am seeing, the child is indisputably Prince Loki’s.”

 


	12. One Man’s Monster

Loki stepped off of the branch of Yggdrasill that led deep in the bowels of the Valhöll. He slipped out from between the molecules of the wall and closed the path behind him; then he took the servants’ routes to the royal wing and let himself into his chambers. They were quiet. He frowned for a moment, concentrating, and then heard the breathing of one person. Stepping silently he made his way to the door of his bedchamber. Kat’s silk ensemble was laid out carefully on a bench, freshly cleaned and pressed and the lady herself was ensconced in his bed, under the covers. Her auburn hair was spread out on his pillow, just as it ought to be. “You are in so much trouble, buster,” she said softly.

He chuckled as he removed his clothing and slipped in beside her, taking her in his arms and hugging her tightly. “For what exactly, my sweet Kat?”

She frowned at him. “I’m not sure where to start.”

“Hmm. Well, court will be in three hours, my journey here took far longer then I’d hoped, so may we delay our discussion until after we face the All-Father? If he sends you from me, braving your wrath is pointless.”

“I suppose.”

“Thank you, sweet love.” He lazily nipped at her jaw and caressed her bared breast. “I have been thinking about being inside you again this entire day.” Tweaking a nipple he asked: “Did you miss me, darling girl?”

Her lips twitched as she arched up into his touch. “Very much, in between being annoyed with you.”

Loki had to laugh at that. He could well imagine her annoyance when told she was wed. “Oh, my pretty kitten; surely you are not so annoyed as all that?”

“Your father doesn’t think I love you or that I’m good enough for you. He’s a real piece of work.”

“Very astute, now hush. The only things I want to hear out of your sweet lips for the next while are moans, whimpers and other cries of pleasure unless I ask you a question.” Her lips obediently closed as she smiled up at him. “Hmm, good girl.” Using his magic to restrain her was not an option; Odin would immediately know he was there. Loki frowned and then brightened as he reached for the golden ties that held back the bed curtains. Lifting first her left ankle and left wrist he tied them together and up and back to the nearest bedpost then did the same with the right to its opposite. “Now, what of you shall I enjoy first? Ah, I know.” He knelt between her widespread thighs and thrust two fingers in her, hard and fast. The arousal he’d scented had made her wet enough to keep the action from being irritating to her sensitive center yet she shrieked softly. Mostly in surprise, he supposed. “Not what you’d expected?” Spreading his fingers within her he pumped them in and out until her inner walls began to stretch then he quickly replaced the fingers with his eager cock.

Her scream was full-throated this time and he blessed the foresight that had reminded him to activate the existing ward of silence on the bedroom so that none might hear them within. “Sweet goddess, Loki, more, please!”

“I’ll count that as a cry of pleasure just this once, my Kat.” Her lips curved into a delicious pout as he pushed her thighs far back until they rested on either side of her generous breasts, pushing the globes together, up and out. “Beautiful,” he breathed as he leaned in to capture a nipple in his mouth. He bit down firmly as he began to pound into her hot quim. The angle was awkward with his height, but her worshipful expression and shriek of pleasure made it worthwhile. Pulling back he grasped both breasts in his hands and roughly fondled them as he continued thrusting powerfully. Kat was groaning and her eyes were fluttering as she lost all control of her reaction. “That’s my beautiful love,” he praised. “Take all I can give you my sweet slut.” Her sex contracted almost painfully around him as her body shook with her orgasm. Fluids leaked around his thick staff and soaked his sac and the bed. Perfection. Kat’s head was lolling from side to side as tremors rushed through her, that sweet small mouth was open as she keened in reaction. Oh, that tight hot mouth. He let his own release fill her womb, then pulled out and settled back on bent thighs. He was still more than half erect. “Oh, sweet wife, I want that talented mouth of yours next,” he told her. “What think you of that?”

Kat’s eyes flew open and the sweet chit smirked at him. “Yes, please,” was all she said before she licked her lips. Loki chuckled and moved to straddle her upper body.

“I am going to fuck that lovely mouth of yours until my cum fills your throat and you will love it like the good little submissive toy you are, understood?”

“Yes, Loki.”

He tilted her chin up with one finger and then slid his semi-hard member between her lips. She nipped the tip sharply before allowing him past her teeth, and he reached behind him to slap an exposed cheek of her soft backside. “Behave, minx,” he growled. The brat’s eyes danced as he pressed deep in her mouth and then widened as his cock hardened and pressed against the back of her throat. “Oh, yes, I am going to enjoy this, my darling.” Loki thrust carefully at first, mindful of the possibility of choking her, but swiftly lost control as she sucked and tugged on his thickness.

… …

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Her legs and arms were immobilized, exposing her for his pleasure. Her cunt was dripping with his cum, his wonderfully thick cock was thrusting into the back of her throat as she fought to suppress her gag reflex and she’d never felt better. Loki was muttering under his breath as she sucked for all she was worth, trying to draw another orgasm from him. His hands cradled her head. One was fisted possessively in her hair while he used the other to caress her temple and cheek between pleasured moans. Unlike last night, he wasn’t trying to hold back and she could feel the difference. The fullness and pounding were almost, but not quite, painful. Tears spilled from her eyes as she suddenly remembered that she could be sent away from him. No. Something had to happen; this couldn’t be all they would have, they were meant to be together, she _knew_ it. ‘Sweet Goddess, please!’ she screamed in her mind as his cum filled her throat and mouth with his release.

Loki had dropped down on the bed groaning as he ran a hand up and down the length of her bound leg. “I can’t lose you, my darling. I have needed you for so long and I will not let them take you away from me.” He leaned toward her and licked a bit of his cum that she’d missed from her chin. “Do you need to rest, love?” he asked.

She thought about it. Her clit was throbbing, her jaw a bit tender from being overstretched. Looking him over Kat noticed that his cock was hardening again. She smirked. “Nope. You forgot something.”

“Did I now? Hmm. That seems to be a bit more than a response to a question, kitten, and sounds suspiciously like a demand. Did I give you permission to make demands upon me?”

“No, but then I didn’t ask for permission.”

“I noticed,” he said in a quelling tone.

 “Humph. I’m sure you don’t want to forget this.”

“Don’t I?” he asked. She shook her head, grinning in spite of her determination to remain serious. “And what did I forget?”

“You forgot how good I taste when you make me squirt.” His gorgeous eyes widened. “Oh, come on, Loki; you know you want to.”

“Definitely a demand and you are an incredibly Insolent wench.” One of his long-fingered hands caressed her ass and then slapped it sharply. She jerked and moaned. “Shall I spank that insolence out of you?”

Sounded heavenly. “Absolutely, in between making me squirt.”

Loki burst out laughing. She could see he was annoyed with himself for giving in to his amusement, but it didn’t stop her from laughing with him. Kat stopped laughing when he reached up to release her left arm and leg. “No, I’m not going to indulge you this time, my sweet girl.”

Her jaw dropped as he reached for her right side. “But…”

“No, Kat. As pleasurable as either would be for both of us, I will not.”

She frowned at his suddenly serious and somewhat sad expression that turned almost wistful as he gently stroked her leg as he set it back down on the bed. “Can I ask why?” she said quietly.

Turning to sit back against the headboard, he lifted her into his lap. “You _may_ ,” he emphasized and she flushed. Loki might be one of the more caring and tender types of dominant, but he was, in fact, very Dom and she had been out of line.

“I’m sorry, Loki,” she offered as he stroked her jaw.

“Don’t be, love. I-we need to talk. We’ve not done much of that.” She nodded agreement and he nuzzled her cheek. “I did not have you brought here on a whim, my Kat. Sometime, in the midst of the most amazing lovemaking I’ve ever indulged in, I realized an extraordinary thing…that I love you.”

He was serious, she could tell by his touch and by the bewildered pain in his expression. “How, I mean, why?”

“I’m not sure. It just suddenly occurred to me that returning to Asgard without you would be unbearable. I’d fully intended to enjoy our night, to be grateful for the gift we’d given each other, and then go home when I was instructed and face my fate. Then everything changed. At that moment, nothing mattered save having you by my side for as long as I could. I felt as though my life would be meaningless without you…why are you crying?”

“I felt that way too.” She brushed the back of her hand across her cheek, angry that she’d lost it so easily. “Loki, you’re a Norse god, you’re virtually immortal. I don’t understand how you could feel that way about someone who will be dead in a half dozen or so decades. What makes me different? You can’t tell me there haven’t been other mortal women who you’ve enjoyed, other subs who pleased you.”

“Of course there have. But every last one of them _wanted_ something from me. They all knew who and what I was and offered themselves to me, not for _me_ , but for personal gain. The only thing you asked of me was pleasure, the exact same gift you were offering me. You had no agenda but to be with _me_.”

Kat smiled and shook her head. “To be fair, until you showed me the newspaper, I had no idea who _you_ were other than a very hot and sexy Dom.”

“And when you did find out, that changed nothing for you. You decided to trust me, _me_ , the god of Lies. You trusted your safety to me, possibly your life.”

“I knew that I could. I always know when I can trust someone; it’s one of my gifts from Isis.”

“It meant so much to me.” He wrapped his arms tightly around her as a fine trembling washed through him. “So few have ever trusted me, even my so-called brother…well, I suppose I’ve given him good reason not to.” He sighed. “There is something I need to tell you. It wasn’t anything you needed to know about when you asked me if I was hiding aught else that should concern you. But now…now you need to know. It may well change your mind, you may _want_ Odin to annul our marriage.”

… …

Kat frowned at him and pressed closer. Oh, sweet Valhalla, so very trusting, even now. “What?”

“I-I am not Æsir, well, I may be part, I do not know for certain. But much of my blood is Jötnar.”

“Okay. So?” She looked confused.

“You know not what that even means, hmm?” She shook her head. “The Jötnar are also known as Frost Giants. They live in the icy wastes of Jötunheim and are a barbaric race. They-we are the monsters under the bed that Æsir mothers frighten their children with tales of.” 

“How do you fit a giant under a bed?”

“It’s not funny, Kat. I do not even look like this, not really…or rather, not always.”

The minx was staring down at his manhood, her nose scrunched up. “Please tell me you don’t get bigger.”

He couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter. “Ah, no. I remain the same size as I am now, I am a runt amongst the giants, but otherwise I resemble them closely.”

“Oh, _that_ tells me a lot.”

Of course it didn’t; the people of Midgard hadn’t seen a Jötunn in more than a millennia, not since shortly before his birth when Odin and his warriors had driven them back to Jötunheim and forever barred them from Midgard. “You may not want me once you truly know me.”

“I trusted you, Loki. Won’t you trust me?”

The plaintive question made him hurt inside. Could her trust her? What if she wanted no part of him once she’d seen his true self…his full self? Still, he could not lie to her, not even by omission now that  he’d given her the right questions to ask. “Don’t touch me suddenly once I change; if I’m startled I could accidentally hurt you, understood?”

“Not really, but I won’t touch unless you say it’s okay.”

“Good girl.” He pulled away and sat a few feet away from her and let his form drift from Æsir to Jötnar. Staring into her sweet face as he felt his body temperature drop, he watched her jaw drop and her eyes grow wide. Oddly, it was not a fearful look. “Full Jötunn have less hair on their scalp, are nearly half again my height and have deeper markings,” he explained. “I believe I must be at least half-Jötunn if not more.”

“You think? Why don’t you know?”

He shrugged. At least she was questioning him and not cowering in terror. “I was abandoned as an infant. Odin took me up and brought me to Asgard and gave me to Frigga to raise as their own.”

“Did you ask him about your parents, wasn’t he able to find anything out?”

“I didn’t even know what I was until a year ago. He’d used great magic to hold me in my Æsir form; it broke, for want of a better term, when I came in physical contact with a Jötnar warrior. That was the first I knew that I wasn’t simply a strange and weak Æsir.”

“Wait; that son of a bitch lied to you since you were a baby? That…wow, oh, Loki, no wonder you have issues.”

“Issues? I nearly destroyed Jötunheim and assisted, however reluctantly, in an invasion of Midgard and you call it having issues?”

“Well, yeah.” The chit actually smiled at him as he shook his head in disbelief. “So how will my touching you hurt me?”

He sighed. “It won’t so long as I’m not startled or enraged…unless I wanted it to. If I’m in control I can touch or allow your touch with no reaction. If I wished to harm you, or I’m not in control, you’d have frostbite almost instantly.”

“Oh. Well?”

 “Well, what?”

She huffed impatiently. “Can- _may_ I touch you?”

“I-I suppose. Why would you want to touch a monster?”

Her glare took him aback. “First, you’re not a monster. You’re…unique, exotic, gorgeous. Second, like my namesake, I’m probably more curious than is good for me. Third, hello? You’re talking to a woman who enjoys being tied up and having the stuffing roughly fucked out of her; I’m not your average girl, and you damn well know that."

“Watch your language, it’s unbecoming.”

“Sometimes it’s the only word that works, you know,” she insisted. “So, do you just suppose, or may I touch you?”

It was annoying, but a less vulgar yet equally descriptive and succinct way of making her point refused to present itself to him, so he settled for giving her a censorious glower. The cheeky brat gave him a too sweet smile in return. Biting back a sigh he looked at her outstretched hand. “Go ahead.” The smile widened and she stroked her fingers across the planes of his chest, following one of the ridges that appeared when he changed forms.

“Interesting,” she breathed after a few moments of exploration. “Your skin feels like marble, only silky. Does that make any sense?”

“Not really.” His breath hitched as Kat moved closer and expanded the range of her touch. His eyes drifted closed as she stroked her palm along the now rapidly firming length of his cock. “That’s not a good idea,” he told her and tried to move away. She took hold of him and he stopped short. “No Kat, let…”

“Please don’t finish that sentence,” she interrupted, her tone almost pleading. “See yourself with my eyes, Loki. You truly are beautiful. Let me help you celebrate that beauty. Let me love you, all of you.”

He stared into her emerald eyes, some small part of him realizing that she looked into the blood red of his own gaze without flinching. Her expression was not just pleading, it was warm, hopeful. “You are impossible,” he told her.

“Maybe impossible is just what you’ve always needed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Loki's Jötunn form has slightly different properties in this story than in Fire and Ice. Why? Because Kat isn't a mutant who can adjust her own body temperature and Loki would never be able to be his full self with her using that story's properties. That means we'd be without the potential of Blue Loki sex! Can't have that now, can we?


	13. Discoveries

Kat held her breath until Loki swallowed and then nodded. She stretched up to gently kiss his now cobalt blue lips; they seemed smoother, silkier somehow. He shivered, with unease judging from his expression. He really did think this made him some kind of monster. Smiling to reassure him, she caressed the sharp angles of his face, tracing the high cheekbones and the angled jaw line with curious fingers and then turning her attention to the ridged lines that had arisen, making what was definitely a pattern that trailed down his neck and throughout the rest of his body. Well, all of it that she could see at the moment. The backs of his thighs, his lower legs and buttocks weren’t visible as he was kneeling on the bed. “Do all, um, what did you call the people?”

“Jötnar, is what the people are called. An individual is called Jötunn for their Realm, Jötunheim.”

“Okay. Do all Jötnar have the same pattern?” she asked as she traced the swirling lines past his jaw and down his neck to his hard lean chest.

“No, and I can only guess as to why. What I do know is that I am a prince there, albeit an abandoned one, probably because I was a runt. Odin did tell me that my sire was their king, Laufey.” Loki was frowning and looked thoughtful. “The pattern might have some significance as to what line you belong to; I seem to remember that Laufey’s markings were similar to mine as were his sons. The other Jötnar I’ve met had somewhat different patterns.”

“Oh, so you’ve met your birth father? Why didn’t you ask him about…?” she trailed off as he grimaced.

“He’s dead.”

Damn. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be; I killed him.”

Well, crap. That wasn’t good. “I take it he deserved it?”

One corner of Loki’s mouth quirked up. “Yes; totally aside from his abandonment of me, he did. Laufey was a vicious bastard. He would routinely order raids on trade missions, stealing the goods and slaughtering the delegates; even those to whom he’d given guarantees of safe passage.”   

“Okay, definitely sounds like he deserved to die.”

Her lover…her husband, even if it wasn’t for much longer, shrugged. “Perhaps I should have let him kill Odin first. Ah well, that moment is well and truly lost.”

“If Odin is as much of a jerk as he’s seemed so far, I’m surprised you didn’t.”

“Odin was comatose, in what we call the Odinsleep. He’d exhausted himself saving Thor and his friends from a foolish adventure. Laufey would have had to kill my…Frigga first. That, I could not allow.”

“Of course not. She loves you, I could tell.”

“And I love her. I hate that I’ve disappointed her so badly.”

“I think she’s just worried about you. She seems thrilled about, um, us. Not so thrilled with Odin.”

“Thor said as much.” Loki gasped as her still wandering hands returned to his cock. He hissed as she leaned forward and swiped it with her tongue. “Kat, don’t”

“Why?” She gave him an even, undemanding look; not wanting him to deny her just to assert his dominance. If he had issues, he needed to face them.

“Ah…very well.” Giving him a sunny smile and reaching up to brush a kiss of thanks against his lips she then returned to that large, hard and now twitching cock. It was fascinating. The ridges ran down it as well and she traced them with her tongue, thrilling to the sound of the moan he couldn’t  
contain. After closing her lips tightly just behind the crown, she sucked strongly and then flicked the tip rapidly. Kat was glad her mentor had insisted on her practicing tongue work extensively when Loki gasped and tangled one hand in her hair holding her fast against him. “Gods, you are exquisite,” he groaned as he involuntarily thrust up into her small mouth.

… …

The pressure of those hot tight lips against the cooled skin of his staff was extraordinary. He pumped in and out, not deeply enough to make her gag, but enough to stretch her lovely jaw. He stared down into her bright eyes, noting the approval and…was that gratitude within them? She was pleasuring the monster and she was the grateful one? What a sweet heart this mortal had; whether he had consciously chosen her for his own or not, he had chosen well. One delicate hand cupped his sac, the thumb rubbing concentrically in slowly widening circles. Her creamy skin and rosy lips were such a startling contrast against his currently blue skin. His first thought was to shy away from the ugliness of it, but then he realized that nothing she was a part of could ever be ugly to him…and she was very much a part of him; the most important part. “Perfect, sweet Kat,” he managed before he lost his train of thought entirely to her skilled and loving ministrations.

Instinct drove him to thrusting up past her firmed lips, her scraping teeth and deep into her throat. He could feel her choke slightly, but when he gave her room to pull back she forced her mouth further down his straining erection. The convulsing pressure of her throat muscles milked him and he hovered on the brink of ejaculation, wanting to pull away and take her sweet quim but it was too late. Another strong thrust up, a determined tightening of her lips and convulsion of her throat and he began to fill her sweet mouth with his cum. He still tried, and finally managed to pull out, only to have her free hand grasp his cock and finish him, pumping his sperm all over her face, neck, and glorious breasts. “Yesss,” she hissed, making him laugh.

“If you’d wanted me to spray you with my cum, you need only have asked, kitten.” And she did look much like a kitten at this moment, eyes narrowed into lazy slits, sitting back on folded legs. The only thing likely holding her upright was the hand he still had tightly tangled in her reddish curls.

“Not what I wanted,” she said with a slight smirk. Hmm, she looked like the cat who had tried to swallow the cream and had missed. Badly.

“Really?” He pulled her up slightly by her hair, bending her head back. “Then what was your goal, my messy slut?”

“To have you forget your form and let go; to fully enjoy your toy without thinking about what you were.” His jaw dropped. At the last he _had_ forgotten, totally forgotten his Jötunn blood, the blue skin, his red eyes. At the last he was just a Dom being pleased, enormously, by his sub.

Lifting her into his lap, he nuzzled the soft skin of her cheek, ignoring the cum that was being spread all over both of them by the contact. “I could love no one else with the depth and completeness that I love you,” he told her.

“I love you too, Loki. There’s never been anyone like you for me, not ever.”

“Good.”

Kat chuckled, no doubt at what even he recognized was an insufferably smug tone. “May I finish exploring you now?” she asked.

“You weren’t done?”

“Well, no. I, um, got sidetracked.”

“Is that what you call it,” he asked, trying not to smile too broadly.

“Please?”

“Very well, my darling. Explore away.” She slid off his lap and dropped back to her knees in front of him. Her delicate hands went back to his all but limp cock, fondling it and then leaning forward to lick a few drops of cum that had clung to it instead of their bodies. While, as a god, his recovery time was always impressive, the speed at which she brought him back to an almost complete erection amazed him. He had to return her happy smile when she looked up at him, mischief filling her eyes.

… …

”Hmm, nope, no changes there except for the…oh, my. That might be interesting.”

His eyes narrowed. “What?”

She smirked as he finished hardening in her grasp. “Well, you’re so nice and thick that those ridges should feel absolutely amazing in my cunt.”

“And not in your ass, sweet Kat?”

“Well, sure,” she agreed, feeling her face flush. “But wouldn’t you like to get inside my cunt first?”

“I’ve already taken that hot wet quim of yours, just a short time ago.”

“Please? You had my mouth before, too, but you enjoyed seconds.” Giving him a hopeful smile she leaned up to rub her cheek against his. “It will get you nice and slick before you go for anal…and you could lube my ass now and it will be all ready when you switch, hmm?”

“You really do enjoy me taking you when I’m like this?” Loki asked, gesturing to his blue skin.

“Oh yeah. Don’t believe me?” she asked as he frowned. “Check for yourself, I’m dripping here.”

His red eyes narrowed and he reached between her thighs. A finger teased her opening before thrusting in and his eyes began to glow. “So I see,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous purr. “This will be a good bit different that fucking that sweet mouth of yours. My-this form has mating urges and being in your vagina will trigger them. When they hit I seem to be a bit less…civilized,” he continued. “Are you ready for that?” he asked as he grabbed what she had thought was a decorative jar from the drawer next to the bed. When he flipped off the lid she realized it was made for insertion; he slid it into her anus and some kind of lubricant was dispensed. Handy.

“Yes, please. How do you want me?” Loki responded by throwing her on her back and roughly grabbing her legs behind the knees. He pressed them out and back and was buried to the hilt in her cunt before she could even gasp. She was shocked when an orgasm ripped through her almost immediately; apparently those ridges were even more stimulating than she’d suspected. “Sweet goddess, Loki, that’s amazing,” she managed as he literally rutted against her. HIs grip on her legs was cruel enough to bruise and his expression was almost manic as he pounded her sex. It was insane how quickly and hard she was coming from what would normally be far too much, far too soon, with far too little preparation. A scream ripped from her throat as a succession of mini orgasms began. Loki showed no sign of coming or even slowing, for that matter and she soon became trapped in a haze of extreme sensation.

The haze shifted as he pulled her legs even further off the bed and she shrieked as he moved from her cunt to her ass without breaking rhythm. It hurt, but she wouldn’t say a word; something told her that he’d not only stop but that he’d never take this form for her again if she did. His hands slid up her legs to her ankles and, again, without breaking rhythm, he grabbed both in one hand and with the other retrieved the curtain tie and fastened them to the headboard. Kat’s mentor and some of her excessively adventurous friends had described what they’d called an ‘assgasm’ before, but she’d never experienced it…until now. She was literally seeing stars as he continued to pound her ass, deep, fast and hard. Her entire body was vibrating and bucking with spasms that just wouldn’t quit. Just when she thought the sensations could get no more intense, Loki forced three fingers into her already swollen cunt, thrust them hard and quick until a vaginal orgasm piled on top of the sensations from the anal and then removed them to rapidly rub her clit. “Come with me this time, my Kat,” Loki growled at her. She began to scream and couldn’t stop. Cum was spouting from her sex and splattering everywhere and she could feel Loki’s spurting deep in her ass.

The entire lower half of her body was throbbing, she thought as she opened her eyes. Somehow she was laying on Loki’s leanly muscled chest. His pale chest. “Oh wow. How long was I out?” she rasped.

“About ten, ah, minutes,” he said, sounding as though he’d had to search for the word. His left hand tightened in her hair and his right returned to stroking her back soothingly. “How badly did I hurt you?” he asked in a shaky voice that made her give him an assessing look.

Damn, he was really concerned that he’d done damage. Hmm. She moved experimentally. Ouch. Sore, yes, hurt? No, she didn’t think so. “Um, I’m pretty sore, but…”

“Gods, Kat. I’m so sorry, love. Let me call for a healer, I’ll understand if you don’t want me to touch you.”

“What?” She frowned at him as he carefully set her aside and reached for his pants. “Loki, I’m fine. I said I was sore, not hurt.” He gave her a doubting look. “Really.” His eyes, back to their familiar green, narrowed as he laid back down beside her. “Check for yourself. I think I’m swollen, and maybe bruised, but that’s about it.”

He rearranged her so that he could gingerly spread her legs and examine her sex. “Very swollen. Wait, there’s…I-I’ve made you bleed.” She tried hard not to roll her eyes but from his annoyed frown didn’t succeed. “Don’t sass me, kitten, I’ve hurt you.”

“Is it bleeding actively or is there just a little bit of blood, like a person would get from friction that rubbed them a little raw?”

His mouth opened and then closed as he examined her again. One cool finger slid inside of her and she bit back a moan, not wanting him to think she was in pain. “Just a tiny amount,” he finally concluded and slowly withdrew the digit.

“Ooh, that feels incredible,” she whimpered, unable to hold back her reaction any longer.

Loki’s jaw dropped again. “You…really?” He snapped it shut and then turned her on her side and carefully examined her anus. “More of the same,” he decided.

“No finger?” she asked wistfully.

That earned her a rueful expression and a chuckle. “Oh, love. Whatever am I going to do with you?”

“Fuck me like that on a regular basis?”

“Hmm, no. Perhaps for special occasions. Assuming Odin allows us to remain together, that is.” He stood and crossed to the window and peered outside. “We have a good while yet before a servant will arrive to assist you in dressing. Shall we bathe quickly and then nap a bit, my sweet toy?”

“I take it I’m not going to get any more sex.”

“Correct.”

“Well, maybe we should clear the air about how much trouble you’re in with me.”

… …

Loki sighed and returned to the bed. He did owe her that much. “Very well, go ahead,” he agreed as he took her into his arms.

“First, very sneaky, healing me of something you didn’t do. I know, I didn’t say you couldn’t and you didn’t break any of your promises, but it would have been nice to at least let me know.”

“I had intended to, but was distracted. Very delightfully distracted,” he told her, nuzzling the collar that decorated her creamy neck.

“Second, you lost the clasp to my necklace, oh, and made a significant change to it. That was a promise broken. You said you’d put it back.”

He frowned for a moment and then shook his head. “No, I returned it to its original purpose as a necklace. I did not say I’d put it back _exactly_ the way it was. And you did agree to my changing it a bit and adding my magic to it. Not my fault if you interpreted the adding of magic as the bit of change you agreed to.” He grinned at her exasperated huff. “Next?”

“You didn’t explain what pledging to you meant. You knew that I wouldn’t think of it as getting married.”

“True. But I did tell you that what I didn’t say was more important. And honestly, love. If I’d asked you to go to one of those wedding chapels and marry me, would you have done so?” She glared at him until he raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. Her expression softened and Kat rubbed her cheek against his arm. “Is that all, my darling wife?”

“I-I’m pregnant,” she whispered. Loki blinked and stared at her; well and truly stunned. “Did you hear m…”

He pulled her into a fierce kiss, she gasped for breath when he finally released her. “Please tell me this does not anger you, my lovely Kat.”

She was silent for several long moments and he began to despair. “No,” she finally admitted. “Shocks me, I mean, I didn’t think I could ever have kids, but no, I’m not angry.” Her eyes stared up at him. “This means he can’t send me away from you, right?” He could not lie to her, so began kissing her again. Much to his annoyance she squirmed away. “Loki, tell me. Can he still send me away from you?”

“Yes. It will be far more difficult. He will need to obtain agreement from the council and if they do agree they would likely rule that you must stay here until our child is born and weaned and then you would be sent back.”

“Stay here with you?” When he refused to answer her eyes narrowed. “Out with it, Loki. Explain it all.”

“This would be added to my crimes. I’d likely be simply imprisoned until you were gone. At that point they may decide to punish me more harshly or even execute me; it all depends on the mood of the people and the council’s interpretation of it.”

“But Frigga told me that they knew you’d done everything you could to save my world. That you were forced to help the invaders and that you planned for it to fail. She was so proud and impressed that you’d managed it. Doesn’t that count?”

“I suppose it would if I hadn’t immediately gone out, while my actions were still being investigated, and committed what they see as another heinous crime.” Her frown was confused. “Marrying a mortal, love; not to mention marrying anyone without Odin’s permission.”

“It’s not fair for them to consider you marrying me without permission another crime. You didn’t know he was calling you his son again.”

“No, love, it never is fair.” He pulled her closer and held her as she cried, hoping she didn’t notice the stray tear or two that dampened his own cheeks.


	14. Summoned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Postings will be farther apart now as we head into a busy spell. Don't worry, we're not anywhere near the end...much is still to come, both terrible and wonderful. Thanks for your support!

Thor strode down the corridor purposefully. Court had been called and he’d volunteered to retrieve his brother’s mortal wife. Though there’d been no sign of him, by this time Loki must have arrived in the Valhöll and should be somewhere about. He frowned at the guard stationed outside of Loki’s chambers. “Why are you here?” he asked the man.

The guard, one of Odin’s Elite squadron, bowed his head and thumped his closed fist over his heart respectfully. Though that salute was generally reserved for the All-Father, Odin had been encouraging the guard members to treat his heir as an extension of himself. At the moment, that thought turned Thor’s stomach. “Our liege wished to be certain none interfered with the mortal, my prince.”

“Did he?” More like he wished to be notified if Loki made his way back to Asgard as joining Kat would be his priority. “You are dismissed. I shall be escorting my sister-by-marriage to court.”

The guard frowned. “Sir? Did Prince Loki truly marry the woman?”

“He did, with Heimdall as witness. Neither Loki nor I were aware that our father had decided to put forth an official adoption. Loki honestly thought himself an orphan.” The man’s eyes dropped to the ground. “Problem?”

“No, my prince. I…if you say he truly did not know then he has done naught wrong by the woman.”

“No, he has not. She is a good woman, perfect for Loki. He does not ask for any favors for her, he only wishes to remain her husband for her lifetime.” Thor actually did not know this; in reality, he did not think that Loki had even thought about the fact that the woman was mortal and would be gone before long, but expressing such to the guard and through him to the palace gossip-mill, would make Loki look more tragic and would cause them to not view Kat as someone who wished only to become immortal regardless of the cost. “You may return to your barracks,” he prompted when the man remained.

“Thank you, your highness.”

He shook his head and knocked firmly before pushing the door open. “Lady Kat?” he called out as he closed it behind him. There was no response though he waited for it and he heard nothing from the bed chamber. This was passing strange. Walking across the salon he noticed the bed chamber door was firmly closed. He knocked on it. “Lady Kat, are you there?” She had to have heard him; everyone told him that he was often far too loud, but there was still no answer. Alarm rushed through him; perhaps the woman was ill? He pushed open the door and peered in cautiously. A grin spread across his face as he saw both the lady and his brother snuggled together in the bed. “Loki, how did you get past the guard?”

Two pair of emerald green eyes snapped open. “He dozed off,” Loki said carelessly. “Just for a moment or two. Quite serendipitous, don’t you agree?”

Thor sighed. “Oh, indeed.” He turned and looked at the door. Sure enough, there was a medallion with a rune engraved upon it hanging from a hook on the interior. “Premade soundproofing spell?”

“I’m always prepared, brother.”

“So you are. My sister, did you sleep well?” he asked politely.

“Um, sure.”

“You do not sound certain of that.”

“Really, Thor. I arrived hours ago. Do you seriously think I gave her the opportunity to catch up on her sleep?”

“Loki, that is not gentlemanly.”

“I’ve never claimed to be such.” His brother frowned and combed his fingers through his wife’s tumbled curls. “Leave be, Thor. You know your father plans to separate us, perhaps with no hope of ever being together again.”

“Our father…”

“ **YOUR FATHER**!” Loki bellowed and his lady flinched. “So long as he treats me as a tool he can use and discard, I am no son of his regardless of _what_ he decrees!”

“Loki, calm down. It’s not Thor’s fault,” Kat told him as she stroked his brother’s jaw.

“No, no it is not. My apologies, brother.”

Loki was being far too easy with calling him brother, no doubt hoping to gain favor that way. “Loki, you…”

“Please. You have done much for me of late. I know I repudiated you and I am sorry for it. You had no need to warn me of Odin’s actions, yet you did. You had no need to bring Kat here for me, yet you did. You have stood for me in the Great Hall and pledged responsibility for my behavior on Midgard; you knew much could happen for which you might be held to blame, yet you still did. You have never been more my brother than you have been whilst I have been at my lowest. Thank you.”

His brother’s eyes were sincere and he was looking straight at him. His cheeks were slightly flushed with emotion. Loki had given him falsely sincere looks in the past, but there had never been any emotion in it. Even the god of Lies was not this good, he was certain. “You are welcome, brother. Come now; you must ready yourselves for court. I’ll wait in your salon to escort you.”

… …

“Why is Odin so against you having a mortal wife?” Kat asked him as he brushed out her tangled hair.

He took the opportunity to nuzzle the spot just behind her ear before responding. “Several reasons if I am honest about it,” he told her. “One, demi-gods or goddesses running about can make no end of trouble. They don’t tend to feel responsibility toward the greater realms as full-bloods do as their lives are much shorter and they don’t see the need for discretion and secrecy of the truth of our existence.”

“Um, you’re not a demi-god and you announced your existence to our entire planet, Loki.”

“True. Both of my races are immortal in comparison to yours; however, I was not in my right mind when I did those things. Second, if the half-breeds intermarry with the full-bloods it dilutes the blood and shortens the overall potential for power and longevity, well, eventually. That is a small but real concern; it’s what ultimately felled the Olympians. Of course the Æsir are far more prolific than the Olympians ever were, probably because we view incest as a crime.” Her nose wrinkled. “Yes, that part of the Greek myths is true. Far too many brother-sister marriages and such. Phenomenally stupid of them. I suppose they thought themselves above issues of genetic inbreeding. They were wrong.”

“Well, it’s not like a lot of you are falling in love with humans, is it?”

“Thor fell in love with a human. She’s a scientist who very nearly discovered the means to travel here on her own with no assistance from any of us. Quite brilliant if otherwise uninspiring. Of course, he is Odin’s heir. I can see the All-Father’s point there.” He finished arranging her hair to his satisfaction…well, his satisfaction so far as having her in the company of others. He’d much rather see her hair wild, free and fisted in his hand whilst in his bed, but his wants would not likely be further met this day, nor any other if Odin had his way. “Third, mortals-humans are seen as lesser beings; more like pets than people. Most of the gods and other immortal races have not truly interacted with mortals for near a millennia. Your kind’s intelligence and awareness has, for the most part, increased dramatically. There are, of course, notable exceptions to this. I believe you refer to those creatures as politicians.”

Kat snorted with laughter, as he’d hoped. Having spent several hours watching one of the cable television political channels before turning it off in disgust and beginning the adventure that had netted him this delicious prize, he had to believe that someone of her temperament would view those fools with great derision. “Hmm, maybe they’re an entirely different species?” she suggested.

“I doubt it not. Finally, humans are so short-lived. Besides the issue of being his heir, Odin would fear Thor becoming so deeply attached to his mortal that when she ages and dies, he would be heartbroken and choose not to continue living himself. It is an honest and honorable concern for a parent. Regardless, none of those reasons should justify Odin denying me your hand. After learning of my genetic inheritance, regardless of whether I have any Æsir blood at all, there are none in the Greater Realms who would accept me as husband for their daughter. What you chose to view as beautiful and exotic, they see as a monster, a beast, a creature of inherent evil.”

“You’re not…”

“I know, love. I said that Is how they now see me.” Loki hooked the cups of the undergarment together so that they contained her generous breasts. Barely contained, he amended to himself. The large globes overwhelmed the garment while it yet controlled them, much as he controlled the girl while she-she owned him, heart and soul. “Gods, kitten, how I love you.” Wrapping his arms around her he held her close and reveled in how she clung to him. “If they send you away it will end me.”

“I won’t let them,” she began fiercely.

“Ah, darling girl. They will give you no choice. You have no hope to fight them. Please, don’t do anything that would give them an excuse to hurt you. I couldn’t bear it were you to come to harm over me. There is so much I regret, do not give me cause to regret having your love.” She didn’t respond with more than a shake of her head as she continued to hold him tightly. “Promise me, Kat. Promise me that you will do nothing to force them to hurt you.”

She sighed and lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him. “If I know I cannot win, I will not let them hurt me.”

Her expression was resolute. Stubborn chit. “Ah, well. That will have to be good enough. I’m not fool enough to think you will submit on issues such as this. Let’s get your face cleaned; you should not face them with evidence of tears. Then we’ll see you dressed. I’m certain my brother grows impatient.”

… …

“It’s about time,” Thor grumbled as Loki and his lady left their bedroom. The girl’s expression was downcast, Loki’s…well, his brother looked as though he went to his execution, the Norns grant that such was not the case. “I’m surprised they haven’t sent someone looking for us.”

“Your father knows that you will do your duty in as expedient a manner as possible,” Loki told him bitterly. “After all, you are the golden son.”

“Enough, brother. I asked not to be shown such favor.” Loki shook his head in response. “Lady Kat, you look lovely; I truly hope that this can be worked out for the two of you.”

“Thank you,” she said in a subdued tone.

Thor sighed and led the way out into the corridor and stopped short as he came face to face with the Warriors Three and Sif. “My friends, it is…”

“We wondered what kept you,” Sif said in a hard tone. “Did he give you much trouble?”

He held up his hand to his brother before Loki could retort. “You read the situation wrong, Sif. I found Loki on my way here and gave him time to greet and comfort his wife before we left for court.” The warrior’s jaw dropped slightly as she stared at the couple behind him.

“And we greatly appreciate your courtesy, Thor,” Loki said. “This will be hard enough for my dear Kat as it is.”

“I never thought your taste ran to such spectacularly feminine women, Loki,” Fandral drawled. “Most of your conquests have looked like soft men, or have been men.”

Thor clenched his jaw; he’d not thought Fandral cruel, but then he was looking at a woman who favored someone other than him, such did not often happen. He waited for Loki to chew the philandering fool up and spit him out. “Tell me,” Kat said instead, much to his shock. “Did you think that would shock or surprise me? Loki is a strong enough personality that I’m certain many men would love to bottom for him. Or are you jealous because he’s never favored you that way?”

He suppressed an outright guffaw as Fandral flushed a bright red. “That..” the dandy sputtered. “I would never…” he practically choked on his outrage. “It’s preposterous.”

Kat looked him up and down with a look of distaste. “True. There wouldn’t be any challenge in it for him and Loki does love a challenge.”

“Kat, that’s hardly kind of you,” Loki scolded. “I expect you to treat my brother’s friends with respect.”

She gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. “I’m sorry, Loki. I didn’t believe that anyone who was actually your brother’s friend would be willing to attack you like that.”

“A true friend would not,” Hogun stated and fell back into his customary silence once more.

Fandral practically foamed at the mouth. “Don’t any of you ever tire of licking Thor’s boots? His so-called brother is the monster we’d long suspected yet because Thor is sentimental about their boyhood and wishes to pretend he is not, you all go along with it? Fine; you’ll do so without me.” He spun and stomped off.

Volstagg scratched his beard with a thoughtful expression. “I kiss no man’s boots, they’d taste awful.” He turned to face Loki. “If you were behaving as you did before, I would have none of this. Yet I see a change in you, one that cannot be attributed to a woman’s love. I think it is this change that allowed you to love another. I would know what punishment you believe you deserve.”

Thor swallowed as Loki met his corpulent friend’s shrewd gaze. “A far different one than I hope for,” his brother finally said. “I deserve execution for what I did to Jötunheim. Even though it was simply a more successful attempt to accomplish Thor’s original goal, it was still wrong. Imprisonment or banishment would never satisfy what’s left of their people and the peoples of the other Realms will always be wary of what I might do to them should they fall out of favor with Asgard.”

“What about your crimes on Midgard?” Volstagg pressed.

“You’ve sat on the council; you know quite well that I saved Midgard from a far worse fate. It is because of what I suffered for Midgard that I hope I will receive the clemency I would not deserve if my last actions were those against the Jötnar. Because of all that I suffered to save Midgard from the Titan I hope that I will be exiled, with or without my magic, for an indefinite period. And for Kat’s sake, of course, I hope that is what will come to pass.”

“We all share blame for what happened to Jötunheim,” Volstagg mused. “And aye, you did save Midgard much and through saving them, saved us a battle that could have decimated the entire Nine Realms. Yet so many died there, it will not be an easy thing to forgive. Still, I will speak for you.”

“Thank you.”

… …

Loki’s stomach clenched as they approached the tall golden doors to the Great Hall. He hadn’t feared this before he met Kat; he hadn’t been afraid to face the Council and to possibly die. Everything was different now; now he had a reason to live. Her delicate hand was trembling where it rested on his arm. How damned selfish was he to put her through this? He should have left well enough alone, thanked her for their night together, left her a token of his admiration and…no. “I apologize for my selfishness, kitten,” he said softly, bending his head so that her curls brushed his cheek. “Dragging you into my hell was unforgiveable.”

Her eyes, an odd reflection of his own color in Æsir form, flashed with annoyance. “Stuff it,” she said, quite distinctly. He could feel his eyebrows shoot up with his surprise. “You couldn’t drag me anywhere I didn’t want to be.”

That made him smile. Such a fierce kitten. So pliant and submissive in his arms, elsewhere she was the spitfire Stark had named her. “All the same, I should not have…” he broke off as he found himself with his arms full of Kat. His lovely lady was up on her toes to reach him, pressing those pouty lips against his in a sweet, needy kiss.

“I love you and there’s nowhere else I should be,” she insisted. “No matter what happens it would have hurt worse if I’d found out later what you were going through; especially if I thought that something, anything I could have done might have changed things.”

Gods knew he didn’t deserve her, but damnation was he glad to have her. He tried to be flippant to cover the pang it caused. “Pray for me to your goddess. I much doubt the gods of my world will be inclined to view any prayers on my behalf kindly.”

“I have been; I’m really afraid that something’s blocking her from hearing me,” she said very seriously. “I usually feel something, but I’m not getting a damn thing. It’s bugging the piss out of me.”

“Language, Kat,” he admonished and then smiled at her exasperated huff.

… …

There they were. Frigga managed a cheerful expression for her sons, patted Thor on the arm and stepped in to hug Loki. She feared, for a moment, that he would angrily push her away but he did no such thing. “I’m sorry,” his beloved voice said in her ear. “I’ve caused you such pain and you of all people deserve better from me.”

“You’ve deserved better from us,” she assured him. “Have you had some time with your lady?”

“Not enough; though I doubt all eternity would be enough time to spend with this one,” he said with a ghost of a smile. “It shall have to do, though.” He took her arm and stepped aside with her. “I fear this will go badly for me. Promise me…I beg you to look after Kat; I would not have her suffer because of me.”

Tears threatened as she listened to her obstinately independent boy care most for the welfare of another over his own. He had changed. “I’ll do my best, Loki. But let us concentrate on you. Surely the Council will listen to reason.”

“Will they? Or will they do as the All-Father bids as they are wont to do? They always believe the old fox has a noble purpose. Me, I’m not so certain, not anymore.”

“I thought I knew him better than any, but I’m finding I know little. We will stand for you, Loki. No matter what, you will always be my son and I will always love you.”

His smile was wistful and saddened her deeply. “I have never doubted it, no matter what I was told.”

Frigga hugged her younger son tightly and then beckoned his lady to them. “Be strong,” she told the mortal and hugged her as well. “I must go; Odin is no doubt wondering where I’ve gotten to.” A quick touch again to her eldest and she stole back down the corridor to rejoin her thick-headed husband. She had a terrible feeling about all of this.

… …

“She is naught but a slattern seeking to better herself,” Fandral declared. “No doubt she looked herself in the mirror and considered how poorly time treats women such as she and thought bargaining with Loki would help her keep her only assets longer than mortals can expect.”

Odin frowned at the young man. While he didn’t have a terribly high opinion of the female, he much doubted that was her motive. Whatever else she might be, he did not think she was using his wayward son. He allowed the man to rant on; his opinions might make the Council more malleable. Else they were likely to dismiss Loki’s actions based on the suffering he endured to halt the Mad Titan in his frenzied tracks. No, that couldn’t be allowed. A door opened in the back of the room and his wife slipped in. “That will be all, Fandral,” he said in a quelling tone. “Your observations have been noted and will be considered. Leave us now.” He wouldn’t have Frigga overhear the vain ass’s opinions else she would work to counter his words. What were the Nine Realms coming to when he could no longer count on his queen for unquestioned support? These were dark times indeed.


	15. Curiosity killed the Kat

Thor spoke, rather eloquently to Loki’s surprise, on his behalf. He could see the golden god’s anger simmering beneath the impassioned yet measured words. Odin might separate him from his love and might yet condemn him utterly, but in doing so he would create a rift between him and his favored son that no amount of time would close. Unfortunately it didn’t appear that the cursed All-Father gave a rat’s behind. Kat was still trembling in his arms. No one had insisted they separate for the hearing, another surprise until he discovered that Volstagg was the councilor in charge of this court. Thor’s corpulent friend had already spoken his piece and no matter the outcome, Loki would be grateful for his support. Volstagg had also called Sif and Hogun to speak. Sif had despised him for centuries, but she spoke well of justice and that she agreed with Volstagg that Odin’s insistence on separating him and Kat was thoroughly unjust. That much she could say without prevaricating. Hogun had stood with her and added his agreement at the end of her statement. He never did speak much, so Loki was pleased he’d managed that much. He would not forget that these of Thor’s friends had treated him fairly in this dark hour. Kat’s shaking was intensifying as Odin’s toadies spoke. “Do not let them see your fear, kitten. Unsheathe your claws and stand strong.” His mortal love nodded and squeezed the fingers he’d folded within her palm.

Lady Eir and Heimdall spoke next, telling of Kat’s pregnancy and of the vows they had spoken. Loki glanced up again as Frigga stood. “I would also speak,” she said.

“You are biased, my queen,” Odin told her in a sour voice. “You raised him from an infant, you…”

“I know him better than any here. Other mothers have spoken for their sons in this court, you may not deny me the right to speak for mine.” Her tone was even but her expression incensed. Odin nodded, the minute gesture screaming his reluctance. Frigga began to speak again and her words washed over him like a balm. Some few of the councilors nodded, but too many had their faces set as if in stone. Frigga’s plea on his behalf fell on many deaf ears. He swallowed the fear that threatened to overwhelm him.

“All of that is well and good,” Odin said when she had finished. “The fact remains that in addition to his other crimes for which we have previously heard testimony, Loki Odinson did marry without his family’s permission and married a mortal without the Throne’s permission. Laws have been broken and the marriage should be annulled. I await the council’s verdict.” Loki was certain that Odin would have much rather said agreement than verdict. They waited as the council withdrew and held an animated discussion hidden from their hearing by a rune of silence.

… …

Thor glared at his father. Despite Lady Kat’s pregnancy, he was still determined to have the council overturn her marriage to Loki. This was taking things too far. He could see how much Loki loved the mortal. For the sake of Yggdrasill, if he loved Jane that much he’d have told his father to take a flying leap off of the Bifröst and would have left Asgard forever to be with her. Clenching his jaw he looked to Frigga. To those who didn’t know her well, she was a serene as always. To her family and close friends, she was simmering with fury. Odin would not be forgiven this for centuries, if ever. Both of them had spoken in favor of allowing the marriage to stand, as had Lady Eir, his good friend and council member Volstagg, and most surprisingly, Heimdall. “Thank you for trying,” Loki said quietly from beside him. Thor nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak without turning to rail at Odin and that would help no one.

Finally the council spokesman stood. “While the council sympathizes with the All-Father’s position, it is our judgment that Prince Loki honestly thought himself naught but an orphan when he took the woman to wife. Under those circumstances, coupled with the conception of Prince Loki’s child, we rule that the marriage must stand even though she is mortal.”

“Thank the Nine,” Thor muttered. Kat was clinging to Loki so closely that he could barely see her huge smile. Loki, however, did not look as excited as would be expected.

“However,” the speaker continued. “Prince Loki must still be punished for his actions that did unspeakable harm both to Jötunheim and Midgard.” Kat stiffened and Loki held her tightly, his jaw clenched so hard Thor wondered why his brother’s teeth didn’t shatter. “We decree the following punishment: Prince Loki is to be bound on the rocks overlooking the void, under the tree of sorrows for a period of one year for each life lost due to his actions. Upon completion of his sentence he shall be healed and freed.”

“No, that is obscene!” Thor found himself shouting. “Anyone would go mad from such a punishment. You may as well execute him outright.”

“I don’t understand,” Kat whispered. “Loki, explain it to me.”

“I love you, Kat. Please don’t let our child hate me for leaving you,” was all that his brother could manage before the guards dragged him from her side.

“Thor,” she demanded. “What’s happening?”

“Nine hundred and five Jötnar and mortals were killed. Loki will be bound under the tree for nine hundred and five years. The sap of the tree is venomous and feels like acid dripping on the skin. The pain is horrific. A year of that would break a normal Æsir. Loki has a disciplined mind, he might last a decade before his sanity shreds.”

Her eyes widened in horror. “No,” she whispered. “They can’t…no.”

Thor looked to his mother. Frigga was sobbing brokenly. There would be no help from that quarter. His mind raced. Would Heimdall send them to Midgard if he grabbed the couple and carried them to the Bifröst? He whispered the gatekeepers name under his breath. A feeling of profound sorrow answered him. Heimdall could not help. “I am so sorry, Lady Kat,” Thor told her.

She pulled away from him, her face resolute. “No, this is unacceptable.” As Thor watched, Kat marched up to the throne and stared up at Odin. “Did you even tell them about the mind control Thor mentioned that you saw? You can’t do this. It’s wrong. You’re sitting so high and mighty. Where is the justice? Those in power should temper their judgment with mercy. Where is your mercy? From what your queen explained to me, most of this wouldn’t have happened if you’d just told him the truth about his heritage as soon as he was old enough to understand. When will _you_ be tried? When will _you_ be sentenced? There is no justice in Asgard!” she screamed as guards grabbed her arms and pulled her back from the dais. “ **ISIS!** **Help us! There is no justice in Asgard!** ”

“Silence!” Odin thundered. “You want mercy?” he asked when her sobs quieted. “Then you may stay by his side. You will be given a stone bowl and you may catch the sap and keep it from striking him. But each moment you rest, each moment you turn away, he will suffer.”

“That’s not mercy you poor excuse for a king and even worse excuse for a god. Sure, it might keep him relatively sane for the duration of my life, but then he’d be damned again. Sadistic, much, _All-Father_?” she spat, struggling against the iron grip of the single guard that now held her in place and the girl cried out in pain as he dislocated her shoulder in an attempt to hold her still.

… …

Frigga watched with a desolate heart as the guards continued to drag Loki from the Hall. As they reached the great doors, they exploded inward, crashing against the walls. A relatively small figure stood framed in the doorway. “Who dares harm what is mine?” a soft but powerful oddly accented voice asked mildly.

Her idiot husband’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as the woman began walking down the aisle that was hastily created for her approach. Much to Frigga’s surprise several of the gathered nobles, all of them elder ones, bowed respectfully as the woman neared them. As the woman entered the light, she could be clearly seen. Her skin was the color of burnished sand; dark tight braids covered her head and descended below her shoulder blades. She was clad in a simple linen sheath and an ornate necklace of gold, lapis-lazuli and other semi-precious gemstones adorned the neckline. A golden kirtle encircled her tiny waist accentuating her widely curved hips. A pleated cloak clung to her arms giving the impression that the woman had wings. Her sloe eyes were outlined in kohl and her lips were darkly rouged. Lying atop the necklace was a golden symbol that some associated with Hathor, but Frigga knew that as Egypt became civilized and the power of the Pantheon spread, Hathor became known as Isis, mother of Horus, sister to Osiris, greatest of the Kemetic gods. Isis could channel the power of the entire Pantheon, it was said. Frigga stood. “Welcome, Lady Isis,” she said politely.

Isis nodded in response then turned to glare at the guard that was restraining her son’s bride. The almost black eyes flashed red and the guard shrieked in terror, but he still held on to his charge. “Let my priestess loose or you will die and I shall send you to Osiris for judgment and demand he give you to Sekhmet. It’s been eons since she’s tasted Æsir blood.” The guard shuddered and looked to Odin who nodded. He let go and stepped back hastily. “My darling Kat, I have heard your plea. This godling you’ve pledged your love to, is he Æsir?”she asked as she straightened the girl’s injured arm and then rolled it back until the joint popped back into place. Kat didn’t so much as whimper; her goddess must have blocked the pain of it.

“Kind of? He honestly doesn’t know, my lady. He’s been lied to about his origins all of his life.” Kat’s eyes were wide. Though she’d called for Isis, she had apparently not expected her to appear in the flesh.

The Kemet turned her fathomless gaze to Odin. “You dare to interfere with my priestess and her lover? You were always bold, _All-Father_ ,” she said softly. “But this is beyond belief, even for one of your rashness.”

“She did not identify herself as your priestess. None of Asgard knew this of her.”

… …

Thor stepped forward. “Not true, father. At least three of us knew this. You simply dismissed her as an unworthy mortal and failed to ask her about herself or ask me, who brought her here, about her.”

“You and Loki, who else?” Odin demanded of him.

Lady Eir and Heimdall stepped forward. Thor hadn’t noticed the gatekeeper’s return. “I also knew, husband, and you should have known,” Frigga told him. “Of course, I actually listened when Eir reported on Kat’s health.”

“Dear Kat,” Isis said, laying a hand on the mortal’s trembling shoulder. “Make your love known to me.”

Kat looked down the hall to where the guards had frozen in place, Loki restrained between them. “He is Loki, god of Chaos and Mischief, adopted son of Frigga and Odin.” Thor didn’t miss that Kat had named Frigga first. Odin didn’t miss it either and was not amused. Good. His father had thoroughly angered him. 

Isis turned her burning eyes on the guards and frowned. “Release him,” she ordered and her voice echoed through the hall. They did not comply. “Shall I call Sekhmet here?” she asked rhetorically. Loki stumbled as the guards’ grips were suddenly released. His brother straightened and then made his way back to the front of the room. He nodded respectfully to Isis and took a still shaking Kat into his arms. His eyes closed as he held the redhead close and rubbed her back gently.  Isis’ full lips curved into a pleased smile. “You do love her.”

“More than I can describe,” Loki agreed.

“And is he what you need, my darling priestess?” she asked Kat.

“He is everything I need in the physical world, great Isis,” the mortal said earnestly.

Isis huffed in irritation and frowned at Odin. “You have a son who needs a wife, and who would not be welcomed by any Æsir, Vanir, or Ljósálfar and I have a priestess who must have a husband that can handle her special needs. Against all odds they have found each other and suit very well. Why do you have a problem with this?”

“Their marriage has been validated, Isis,” Odin grated. “Your priestess objects to the sentence imposed for Loki’s crimes against the Realms of Jotunheim and Midgard.”

“Ah, I see. But…why is Asgard trying a non- Æsir for crimes against Realms other than its own?”

Thor bit back a grin. Odin was practically spitting in rage. “I will not have the beasts of Jötunheim trying a Prince of Asgard, and the mortals of Midgard do not understand true justice.”

“It’s not justice to torture my brother for over nine-hundred years for a crime he was driven to by our treatment of him and for another crime that he committed while under the control of the Mad Titan,” Thor interjected. “Were the humans to learn the truth of Loki’s actions on Midgard, they would pardon him and call him a hero for doing all that he could to stop it, much as they consider the Hawkeye who was controlled similarly to Loki.”

… …

Isis ruthlessly repressed a shudder. The Mad Titan had returned his attention to his home system; this was not good. “You must be a most powerful godling indeed to have fought his will at all.”

“I prefer to be called a sorcerer, if you do not mind, my lady,” Loki replied in a respectful tone.

Physically he was a pretty one and he wielded pretty words. But if he had pleased Kat, his will was strong and resolute. Yet he obviously cherished the girl. _That_ pleased her, Isis thought. “Powerful indeed,” she mused before turning back to the self-styled All-Father, a bully masquerading as a benevolent king. “Yet you plan to destroy his mind when you have a great enemy coming for you? You are still a fool, then, squandering your assets out of spite.”

“ _I_ squander nothing. A Prince of Asgard should not be squandered on a mortal!” Odin bellowed.

Ah, now they were getting somewhere. A glance at Kat’s husband showed him shaking with anger, lips compressed tightly. He knew responding to Odin’s foolishness would get him nowhere. Smart boy. “So, it’s my priestess’s mortality that is the true issue.” Asgard’s King flushed at the accusation, the barb had hit home. “Very well then.” She turned to the couple; they really were quite adorable together. “Step aside, young man. I need to speak with your bride.” Loki frowned but complied after Kat patted his chest reassuringly. Isis stepped closer to the girl and enveloped them in a haze of magic and power.

Kat stared at the golden mist that surrounded them with wide eyes. “They can’t hear us, can they?”

“No, we have privacy; they can see us, though. I know your needs, my girl, but tell me this; is he also good to you?”

“Yes, my lady. Tender and caring once our needs have been met. And…please don’t tell him I noticed, I don’t want to hurt his pride, but he cried at the thought of losing me.”

“Odin is an ass,” she told the girl bluntly. “He will not let this go so long as you are mortal. Are you ready to leave mortality behind?”

“I-I’m not ready to die, my lady.”

“Do you defy me?”

“What about my baby?”

Confused, Isis examined her more thoroughly. “You are not with child.”

Kat stared at her. “But…but that…” she spun and peered through the haze. “They lied to Odin. Well, to me, too, but I’m sure that was so I wouldn’t give it away.”

“Who did this?”

“Lady Eir and Lady Frigga; they told everyone I was carrying Loki’s child.” Sadness had crept into Kat’s expressive green eyes. “I guess they were just trying to stop Odin from annulling our marriage.”

“You wanted this child.”

“I-I guess. I’d never thought I could have a child. Loki healed me. It, he was so happy…oh no. He’ll be so disappointed.”

“He’ll understand the reason for the lie.”

“Then Odin will annul our marr…”

“Odin will do as I command if he wants allies against the Mad Titan. I have the upper hand here, child. Now, are you ready?”

“For what? You’re not really going to…”

Isis did not wait for the girl to finish her response before thrusting a ritual knife into her heart. Kat’s eyes glazed over and she collapsed into Isis’ waiting arms. Lifting her, Isis dropped the concealing mist then met the horrified gaze of the god of Chaos. She smiled at him and then turned to Odin. “You’ve cost me a priestess, Odin All-Father. I claim your adopted son in her stead,” she told the stunned king. “Where are your chambers, child?” she directed to Loki. “Take us there.” His jaw clenched, the prince wisely did as he was told and strode out of the hall.


	16. Do Kats have Nine Lives?

Loki pushed his door open and held it for the bitch-goddess who had just killed his wife. A distant part of his mind noted that his arm was shaking. Fine; that went well with the rest of him. Isis carried his Kat past him and into his bed chamber then carefully settled her onto the bed. “Before I kill you,” he said conversationally. “I’d like to know why my wife died by your hand. She was faithful to her vows to you; though she loved me, she refused to worship me as her god.”

“I would suggest you do not kill me if you want her to live again,” Isis told him with an amused smile. “I have not yet cast the magic to resurrect her.”

“What?”

“Amongst other things, my boy, I am the goddess of Rebirth. Kat had to die a mortal death in order to be reborn a goddess. Simple, no?”

“But…our child.”

Isis sighed. “She had not conceived…and before you argue with me, I am also the goddess of Birth, among many other things. Kat believes your goddesses lied to her and to Odin to prevent him from annulling the marriage.”

“Oh.” He stared down at the still form of his amazing lover and felt fear’s iron grip on his heart. What if Isis was wrong and she could not bring her back? He had no wish to live without the sweet chit’s embrace, without ever feeling that lush body open up to him again. Without…

“Stop it.” His eyes flew up and met the obsidian gaze of the Kemetic goddess. “Now, what powers should I grant her, do you think? What would her affinity be?” Her expression settled into thoughtful lines as she considered the question. He couldn’t stop his mind from running off in the obvious direction. But no, being a goddess of Lust, Sex or Submission wouldn’t be particularly dignified. Fun, yes, but not at all a suitable title. “None of that,” Isis scolded as though she could read his thoughts. “I’m quite serious about this.”

… …

For several long minutes no one made a sound then a babble of shouts and questions threatened Odin’s sanity. He signaled to the commander of his Guard. “Clear the hall of all but my wife, my son and Lady Eir,” he instructed. The man saluted and the hall gradually quieted as it emptied.

“Are you happy now, _father_?” Thor spat at him once the four of them were alone. “My brother has lost his love and I shall lose my brother to madness. How many more lives will you destroy this day?”

He gave his son a brooding glance and then looked at the women. Their anger was equally clear. In fact, in all their years of marriage, he had never seen Frigga’s eyes so furiously cold. “That did not go quite as I had expected,” he admitted.

“And what did you expect? What _could_ you expect? You allowed my son to be sentenced to a cruel fate; did you think the woman who loved him would simply stand by and do nothing?” The chill in Frigga’s voice matched her ice blue eyes.

“I did not expect my wife and the goddess of Healing to lie to their king,” he began mildly. “The mortal was not with child. I did expect the girl to protest the sentence and to call on her goddess.”

“But-but…you said you did not know she was a priestess,” Thor sputtered.

“I said she did not identify herself as such. She did not, not here in Asgard. Your mother and Eir assumed her status from the marking, they did not _know_. I was not aware the girl had informed you or your brother and Heimdall did not report it; therefore I spoke the absolute truth.”

“You’re more devious than Loki.”

Odin shrugged. “Surely you realized he had to have learnt it somewhere?” He nodded at his son’s shocked look. “I also expected Isis to claim Loki for her priestess.”

“Did you also expect her to kill the girl?” Frigga was still simmering with rage.

“Of course not. I expected demands and an offer of an alliance against the threat Heimdall reported to me in return for releasing our son.”

“Wonderful. Well, due to your shortsightedness my vision of a grandchild from my youngest is forfeit. My adorable grandchild will never be,” she hissed with a slight wail of pain in her voice.

That explained the lie. He sighed heavily. “When is the last time one of your visions was that far wrong or otherwise negated?” Frigga frowned at him. “I certainly cannot remember such a time and I don’t believe it shall be now. The Kemetic gods are far fewer in number than those of Asgard. Each one is more powerful than most any individual god or goddess of Asgard; and Isis, the mother of kings, is arguably the most powerful as hers is the gift of birth and rebirth. I believe she sacrificed the girl to have an excuse to demand Loki and that she will resurrect her.”

“You’d best be right or you will be finding another bed upon which to rest your head at night,” his lady promised vengefully.

… …

The Kemetic goddess had removed his lady’s clothing and was wrapping her, head to toe, in strips of linen she’d conjured and soaked in a bowl full of some type of herbal mixture that she’d also conjured. “Please tell me you aren’t going to remove her organs and embalm her?” Loki asked.

Isis frowned at him. “Why would I do that?”

He shrugged. “That’s what your people did to their dead on Midgard.”

“Ah, the mortals. I am not mortal, godling; I need no such rites. The herbs and oils are to protect her delicate skin from the magic that will power through her body.” She stopped and looked him over. “You fear for her. Do not. In fact, perhaps you should talk to her; reassure her that you are still here and that you await her return.”

“Is she not dead?” Isis nodded as she went back to wrapping the oil soaked linen. “Then how can my words reassure her?”

She frowned. “I am holding her soul here with her body so that she may be reborn with all of her memories intact. She can hear all that transpires.” Amusement made the dark eyes sparkle. “Kat is quite annoyed with me on your behalf.”

Potent magic indeed. Not even Hel could manage such. “Will she feel my touch?”

Isis looked thoughtful. “I do not know. Try and we shall see.”

Loki knelt down by the edge of the bed and gently stroked Kat’s cooling cheek. Sorrow crashed through him and he swallowed reflexively. “My sweet girl,” he managed. “I am so sorry you must go through this.” He glanced up in time to see Isis’s approving nod. Smoothing the dark auburn hair back from her temple he tucked it behind an emerald adorned ear. “You mean so much to me,” he whispered. “When I saw you collapse…” he trailed off with a huff of choked off laughter. “I wanted to die with you. You may need what I can give your sweet body, my darling Kat, but I need all of you more than you can imagine. Not just your generous submission, your boldness, your fervent attentions and your moans, but,” pausing, he swallowed his discomfort at speaking of such in front of his lady’s goddess. “Your intelligence, your compassion and your trust; everything you are, I need. You complete me in ways that I’ve only dreamt of before finding you.”

“Very good, my boy,” Isis praised. “She’s far more settled now; it will make the process so much easier on her.”

“She’ll feel more pain, will she not?”

“Yes, it’s unavoidable.”

Loki pressed his face against the skin of her still bare shoulder. “Can another feel the pain for her? Could I somehow take the pain in her stead?”

Isis stopped wrapping and stared at him. “That is a generous offer; I see you love her truly.” The goddess sighed. “No, I am sorry, it cannot be done.”

His eyes closed and he kissed the chill of Kat’s satiny skin. “I am so sorry, my sweet girl.”

… …

Kat couldn’t see what was happening, though she could hear, sort of. It was like having her ears stuffed with cotton, except that the pounding of her heart wasn’t magnified. Oh. Her heart wasn’t beating. She heard Isis ordering Loki to lead them to his rooms and she felt the goddess carry her and then lay her down on a bed. What she could not tell was whether the bed was soft or firm. Her sense of touch was insulated as well.

Loki threatened Isis but Kat couldn’t muster up the alarm for him that she should feel. Were her emotions also buffered somehow? It was so strange. She continued to fret as her goddess and the man, or rather, the god that she’d dared to love exchanged words. Oddly, though she couldn’t feel fear of her own, she could feel Loki’s. It seemed he was afraid for her. Kat wanted so badly to touch him, to tell him to trust her goddess, but she was trapped in nothingness. Groaning silently she twisted and squirmed in the vise-like grip that held her in place.

A feather-light touch caressed her cheek. Loki’s impossibly sexy voice, even when laced with sorrow, whispered in her ear. She couldn’t make out the words, not fully, but the emotion in them…that was clear and it was beautiful, that she could tell. Phantom lips pressed against the skin of her shoulder. Kat relaxed and drifted in what now felt like a comforting embrace rather than the harsh binding of before.

… …

Loki watched anxiously as the linen was wrapped around Kat’s head once her earrings were removed. Isis had also had him remove the gold collar. Now only her eyes, her nostrils and her lips were uncovered and Isis rubbed some of the herbed oil into those areas. “Her soul will reenter her body through her eyes,” the goddess explained. “And she will need to begin breathing immediately upon her rebirth.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked. He hoped so; this standing about doing nothing was making him feel useless in his lady’s time of need.

“Yes. Stand here,” he was told as Isis lifted Kat and repositioned her so that her head was at the edge of the mattress closest to them. “When the magic runs through her she will try to sit up. Hold her down and talk to her, reassure her that you are there and that we’re almost done.”

“Got it.” He suspected that this was busy work, but he’d take it.

… …

Frigga had stormed out of the Great Hall with Eir in tow. Thor stared at the father he’d thought he knew, the god he’d honored and respected for all of his years…until now. “You used him. First you lied to him about his heritage all of his life and now you’ve used him. He was nothing more than a tool to you.” Odin stared back at him calmly. “How can I ever trust anything you say when you are willing to use the man you raised as your son and my brother as nothing more than an expendable tool? I am ashamed to be called your son.”

“I will use anything and anybody, _if necessary_ , to safeguard the people of the Nine Realms. That, my son, is the price of being king.”

“There is and there _must_ be a line, and this is a line that you have crossed! Loki had nothing left, _nothing_. His entire existence, everything he knew was no more. That mortal girl gave him something to hold onto, a reason to care if he lived or died and you’ve done your best to take that one piece of happiness, that one thing that belonged to him and him alone away from him. Cruelty such as that does not befit a king. You led us to believe the Jötnar were monsters; my brother believes himself to be a monster because of you when you were the true monster. Find yourself another heir, _All-Father_. I refuse to be a king such as you have proven to be.”

“I sincerely hope that you will not _need_ to be, my son; that the legacy I have striven to leave you will allow you to be a kind and just ruler, not one who must weigh the harm to one against the benefit to all. Yes, I’ve used Loki but no, I did not do so carelessly. It was and still is necessary.”

“Cease lying to me! You were prepared to totally destroy him. Nine-hundred and five years…damn you! Five years of that torture would have been too many!”

Odin frowned at him. “It would never have been allowed to come to that.”

“Oh? Did you lie to your court as well? The council decreed an obscene punishment and you allowed it to stand. Was Lady Kat right? Did you not give them the evidence that Loki was controlled on Midgard?” He stared at the old king in sudden comprehension. “You did not. You…if Kat had not called upon her goddess or if Isis had not come would you have suddenly uncovered that evidence and used it to mitigate the sentence?”

“Not suddenly, no. He would likely have had to suffer that sentence for a short while before it surfaced.”

“Damn you to Hel’s embrace. How could you take that risk with one you called your son for over a millennia?”

“Because I had no other choice!” Odin bellowed. “The Mad Titan returns to his home system. He knows it is the only path to Asgard, the only path to the Great Vault, the only path to recover the Infinity Gauntlet. It was with great sacrifice that this weapon was wrested from him before. Should he bear it again the universe itself would be at risk and all of the Nine Realms would be the first to suffer utter obliteration. I had no choice but to endanger Loki; if it had come to it, I would have put even my beloved queen at risk to prevent that tragedy.” The All-Father sat back heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I had no choice,” he rasped.  

Thor stared at his father in shock. Like all of Asgard, he had heard tell of the Mad Titan; one of the Eternals, one who courted the ultimate personification of Death. Not a goddess of the dead such as Hel was, no. Thanos worshiped the entity that _was_ Death, was fed by death. “Why did you not simply say so?”

The All-Father gave him an exasperated look. “If the girl had not been in true distress, her plea to her goddess would not have been so desperate. She would not have been heard by the Kemet through the haze of power that surrounds another Pantheon. And before you ask why you and Frigga, at least, were not told; Frigga wears her heart on her sleeve. She would not have been angered or upset, therefore Loki would not have believed it and his lady would not have believed it either. You, my son, are many things, but you are, as of yet totally incapable of dissembling. Again, there would have been no belief, no desperation on the girl’s part, and Isis would not have heard her.”

“We will need them,” he said dully.

“Oh yes. If the Olympians still thrived I would be seeking a way to bring them to the table as well. Unfortunately their infighting has all but destroyed them, they can be no help to themselves let alone to anyone else. The Kemetic gods did as we did and withdrew from Midgard millennia ago. They are still strong and could be valuable allies.”

“Once the alliance is secured, you will apologize to Loki.”

“I will not.”

“You will; he is owed that much and I mean to see that he gets it.”


	17. Satisfaction, er, Isis

Urns painted with hieroglyphs had appeared around the bed and a fragrant smoky mist arose from them to dance about the room. Loki watched curiously as the coiling trails of vapor flowed hither and yon with no respect for the air flow in his chambers, almost seeming to take recognizable shapes before dispersing and moving on. Isis was chanting in the tongue of the Kemet; a language as akin to ancient Egyptian as the Asgardian tongue was to Old Norse. He recognized a word here and there as well as the names of the other Kemetic gods and goddesses. She called on Sekhmet and Bastet repeatedly and the swirling mist most often seemed to be taking the shapes of lions and cats. He glanced down at the linen wrapped figure below him. Only his Kat’s eyelids, nostrils and pouty lips were visible. Her unnatural stillness, the stillness of death itself, unnerved him. For all that his own daughter was goddess of the Dead, seeing his amazing lover held in that state caused a cold ball of fear to knot up in his belly. Isis paused in her chanting and looked to him. “Be ready, the process will start soon.” He nodded and waited for the wash of golden power she’d described to him.

The smoky mist became thicker; now he could see it take the shape of a flying hawk, a prowling jackal, the lion and smaller cat he’d seen before; another bird with a long curving beak coalesced briefly as did a ram and some other four-footed beast he did not recognize. The lion and the cat held their forms while the others quickly lost substance. When he glanced up at Isis, her bare arms appeared to have sprouted feathered wings in shades of blue, green and gold where a cloak formerly hung. They weren’t really there, he could tell; the power that was the mist formed them. The lion and the cat took points to either side of his lady’s body. Isis stood at her feet, the winged arms outstretched. Compass points. “Are you going to pull on my magic as well?” he asked, recognizing the possibility from the positioning.

“Very little,” she responded. “Only for balance.”

He nodded both his agreement and understanding. The cat and the lion must represent other Kemetic gods or goddesses whose power Isis would be channeling, but Loki wasn’t familiar enough with their Pantheon to name them. The goddess of birth and rebirth called commandingly on Osiris, her brother, husband or perhaps both depending on which of the myths actually spoke the truth, while the other forms melted back into the mist and it spread out through the room, glowing with a soft golden light. “It’s starting,” he noted, not bothering to hide his awe as the waves of power brushed past him and gathered above Kat’s linen wrapped face.

… …

“Where are they, Stark?” Nick Fury demanded as he strode into Tony’s newly refurbished and only slightly used observation lounge with Clint Barton on his heels.

Tony dropped the last of the cardboard containers into the trash. After Thor and Loki had taken off last night he’d sat up drinking for a few hours, contemplating the curveball that he’d been thrown. A psychotic evil god who wasn’t, a so-called benevolent All-Father who, again, wasn’t, and a confident, sassy, sexy, submissive. Okay, so that last one wasn’t so much of a curveball, he just hadn’t understood that people who were sexually submissive weren’t necessarily submissive in their public lives, just like some dominants were actually bullies looking for a better name for themselves. Speaking of bullies. “Where are who?”he asked the black leather-clad super spy who was favoring him with a one-eyed glower.

“The Asgardians, Stark. You know damn well who I’m talking about. Thor was seen landing on your…whatever the hell you’re calling that out there,” the director said, pointing at the observation deck just past the sliding glass doors. “And if Thor came here, it’s a good bet you were harboring Loki.”

“I don’t _harbor_ fugitives. However, if they invade my space, in the interest of not getting thrown out my own damn window again, I’m going to keep them otherwise occupied by offering food and drinks and keeping them talking rather than throwing. I didn’t have one of my suits ready and I really didn’t want to experience freefall without one.”

Fury blinked. Hah. “Loki showed up here and you _fed_ him?”

“I thought that’s what I just said? He particularly enjoyed the pan fried noodles; at least enough to let me stay inside this time. Of course, that may have been out of appreciation for the Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve Irish Whiskey. Great stuff. Oh, hey, Natasha, good to see you, well, maybe not. What’s got your panties in a twist?” he asked the assassin as she stepped off of the elevator with a sourer than usual expression.

“Romanov, did the report come in?” Fury asked her.

“It did, and you’re not going to like the results.”

“I haven’t liked a goddamn thing about any of this since Thor first graced New Mexico with his presence almost two years ago. What did they find?”

She held out a micro-thumb drive. “Stark? I’ll swear there is nothing on here but picture files.”

He decided to trust her…conditionally and held out a hand. “Jarvis? put a Class A firewall around this outlet and open up the display for our visitors,” he told his AI as he inserted the drive into one of the ports by his bar.

“Of course, sir.”

Holographic displays popped up around them, filled with photographs and video stills of Loki and Hawkeye each watermarked with a date. That was unexpected. He glanced around the room examining them one by one. The first was of Loki, facing Thor…who looked kind of funny in street clothes, in what had to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in New Mexico based on the date. Thor looked much the same as he had yesterday, other than the duds and hairstyle, of course. Loki had much shorter hair and was wearing a business suit; Armani, if he wasn’t mistaken. His expression lacked the mania Tony could see in the later pictures or the sadness and near despair he’d seen yesterday…and the god’s eyes were a clear and unmistakable green. “Huh, green eyes.” The next grouping of pictures, all with dates coinciding with Loki’s arrival and capture of the tesseract through the day the Chitauri came through the damned hole in the sky, all showed Loki with blue eyes of an eerie shade that nearly matched those of his unwilling henchman in the pictures, Hawkeye. “Same color eyes as our ensorcelled Hawk. Interesting.”

“Does that tell you something, Stark?” Fury ground out.

“Uh, yeah, kind of. Looks like he wasn’t lying with his big confession last night about being under the same kind of compulsion he used on Barton.” He walked over to the last few pictures. One was taken by the Tower’s security cameras; Loki had the funky blue eye thing going on. The next showed his buddy Bruce’s Other reaching out for the god whose eyes were still blue. A picture of Loki embedded in Tony’s expensive granite floor followed it and yep, those peepers were now the green of the pic from New Mexico. “Would you look at that,” he muttered to Romanov, pointing at it. “Guess that cognitive dissonance thing you used on Barton works on gods, too. You just need to hit them in the head a hell of a lot harder.” The final picture, showing Loki standing in Central Park in shackles and muzzle, also featured the now familiar green eyed gaze.

“What color were his eyes when he showed up here?” Hawkeye asked sullenly.

“J, do we have footage from last night that shows Loki’s eyes?”

“Indeed, sir,” the AI responded. A picture of Loki wearing the outfit he’d eaten Chinese food in was displayed. The dark slacks and the white shirt along with the sharp angled face and trademark ebony hair framed the expressive green eyes.

“Shit, what load of crap was he giving you when that was taken?”

“None, Birdman. He was listening to me tell him about my father.” Tony shrugged as the S.H.I.E.L.D. trio gave him incredulous looks. “He’d spent a bunch of time telling me about his problems with Odin. I was trying to be empathetic…all in the interest of remaining _inside_ my damn tower, you understand.”

Romanov’s luscious lips curved up in a Loki-worthy smirk. “Of course,” she murmured.

“When were you going to inform us that you’d had a visitor, Stark?”

Tony manfully refrained from rolling his eyes at Fury. “Well…” He broke off when he noticed that the elevator doors were opening again. Four more agents stepped out, accompanied by his buddy Bruce.

“More to the point, director,” Agent Coulson said. “When were you going to tell me that my assailant was back on Earth?”

… …

Fury’s face turned an interesting brick hue, Bruce noted. “What are you doing here? They’re not cleared for this.”

“Oh, come on,” Tony snapped. “Do you really think clearance means a damn thing to us? We’ve known Agent was alive for two months now. By the way, how was Tahiti?”

“It’s a magica…ah, beautiful. But rehab was driving me batty.” Coulson grimaced as he turned back to Fury. “What if the Asgardian Mussolini is responsible for the rash of artifacts we’ve been recovering?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…what rash of artifacts?” Tony’s eyes were shining with curiosity. “And I’d have called him Machiavelli, but let’s not argue semantics. So, who are these lovely ladies?” he asked, pointedly ignoring the young man in the group.

Bruce decided he’d better handle the introductions. “This is Agent Ward,” he said, nodding at the tall male agent. “You’ve heard of Agent May,” he continued, indicating the Asian woman. “And this is Skye. She’s a consultant.”

“Aha. That means you’re the brains of the group, right, sweetheart?” Tony said to the girl. Bruce tried not to sigh.

“Stow it, Stark,” Fury interjected. “How did you know Loki was here? Did your hacker exceed her boundaries again?” he asked Coulson.

“We discovered Thor had come here when we went looking for _him_. We didn’t know anything about Loki until Jarvis briefed us on the way up. Stark, how did you find out I was alive?”

“Jarvis knows all, Agent.”

“And tells all,” Skye said with a smirk. “Director, I didn’t hack S.H.I.E.L.D.; but the point is, I shouldn’t have to. What I did hack was Homeland Security. They have a feed of the NYPD’s video surveillance and they’d picked up video of Thor arriving here last night. Besides, I can’t hack S.H.I.E.L.D. without you knowing it, remember?” she said in a snidely venomous tone, holding up her wrist.

“What have we here?” Tony asked, stepping forward and examining the cuff. “Huh. Reports on damn near everything you do, right?” The girl nodded. “Fury, don’t your people have better things to do than monitor the shopping habits of twenty-something-year-old kids?”

Fury glared at the billionaire. “She was pretty much the big gun of the Rising Tide, Stark.”

“She…wow. Okay, color me impressed,” he said in the most sincere tone Bruce had ever heard out of him as he gave the girl a half bow. “If you ever decide to ditch these clowns there’s a job waiting for you in Stark Industries.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark, but I’m where I need to be.”

“Call me Tony.”

“Um, that would be…weird.”

Bruce hid a smile as his friend’s face fell. “Damn; shot down by two lovely young women in as many days. I’m starting to get a complex, Bruce. But at least the last one called me Tony.”

“The redhead Loki seduced?” Fury asked.

Bruce nodded. “Kat, who legally has no last name; is twenty-eight or thereabouts. She’s a pagan priestess who performs handfastings, weddings and such in Las Vegas.”

“Why did Thor take off with her? And don’t continue to bullshit me; we need answers.”

“Your guess is as good as mine. All that I can tell you is that Thor took her to Asgard.”

“Did that maniac harm her?” Coulson asked.

“Your close brush with death notwithstanding, I’m starting to doubt the maniac designation. Based on those photos,” Bruce continued, gesturing around the room. “He might be as much of a victim as Agent Barton.”

“No way,” Barton muttered. “He was in my head; the bastard screwed me over, big time.”

“I’m not disagreeing. The question is; who was in _his_ head and what would it take to possess the mind of a god?”

… …

The godling was watching anxiously as the power flowed into his beloved’s body. Isis carefully channeled the gifts offered by Bastet and Sekhmet as well as her own gifts into her priestess. The half-Æsir’s power was offered willingly and mixed well with theirs. While the changes happening at the molecular level couldn’t be seen, she could feel them. The process was going smoothly. Loki’s eyes widened when the linen wrapping rippled as Kat’s bones and skin broke down and re-formed with their new density and resiliency. The Kemet were not nearly as physically strong or weighty as the Æsir, but they outweighed a human of the same size by at least half again. The bulk of their power came from their magic and their ability to take other forms nearly at will. “Her consciousness will be reentering her body soon. Be prepared; it is vital she not move from the bed until she is fully restored.”

“Is that when the pain will hit?” the young god asked. He was a bright one, for a god of Asgard.

“It is and it will be excruciating.” Loki winced at her words. “I am sorry, but there is no avoiding it.”

“I-I understand.” His gaze focused once more on his love’s body. “I will find a way to make it up to her,” he vowed.

“Continue to love her the way she needs to be loved and she will count it well worth the price she paid.”

Emerald eyes focused on her with a laser-like intensity at the humor in her tone. “I’m so _pleased_ we amuse you,” he grated.

She chuckled. “Love this intense is always amusing, boy. It makes fools of the greatest amongst us.” Turning her attention back to their priestess, Isis noted the rippling had changed to an intense vibration. “It will go more quickly if she relaxes into the pain; far easier said than done, I know.”

The godling grinned. “Actually, she’ll have an easier time doing that then most.”

“I don’t…?” Isis’ question was cut off as the girl’s eyes flew open to accept the return of her soul and her body arched up off of the bed as she screamed in agony.

… …

“Kat!” Loki shouted, frantically holding her shoulders down with his elbows and pressing on her bound chest with the palms of his hands. “Relax kitten, and the pain will pass more quickly. You can do it, I know. Relax into the pain, make your body go limp.” Kat’s patron goddess was holding his lady’s ankles and legs in a similar fashion. The all but solid forms of the cat and lion made from the fragrant mist had disappeared at the sound of Kat’s first muffled yet tortured scream.

She was huffing in air, breathing through the spaces in the linen bindings allotted for the task and an agonized keening filled the room. “He’s right, Kat; the more you can relax, the faster you’ll stabilize and the less pain you shall need to endure,” Isis agreed.

He watched as the mortal, former mortal perhaps, visibly forced her muscles to loosen if not fully relax. It had to take a monumental act of sheer willpower that Loki was not certain he would be capable of managing. The breaths were lengthening now, but were still sharp and backed by quiet moans. “That’s it, love; you’re doing well. I’m so proud of you.”

“Not much longer,” the Kemet noted. “Can you see the stars, my daughter? Focus on them; they hold your new gifts.”

Loki frowned. “Stars? What gifts?” he asked. “Is not becoming a goddess gift enough?”

“Are you not a god of something? Is not every god or goddess of Asgard a god or goddess of some particular skill or attribute? Of course she shall have gifts. Did I not say so as I prepared her for this process?”

She had, he remembered. “I don’t know what you decided upon, though.” A sudden absence of sound pulled his attention back to his love. Her body had stopped vibrating and her pained cries had ceased. Kat breathed easily now, and her large emerald eyes blinked slowly. “Kat?” She struggled to focus on him, but did not quite manage the task.

“Give her a moment or so; she is no doubt disoriented.” Isis waved her hands and the linen wrappings disappeared. Kat was gloriously naked before them.

Though his lady looked much the same, there were subtle changes. Her eyes slanted a tad more upward at the outer corners and it looked as though they were lined with kohl in the same manner as Isis wore. The formerly peaches and cream skin was now the color of warmly aged ivory, and her fingernails were longer and slightly narrower. They almost appeared like claws. He opened his mouth in surprise as she moved a hand and the nails lengthened slightly. “What in…”

“Later,” Isis said. “Once she fully recovers I will explain it to both of you.” Her darkened lips quirked in an amused smile. “I suggest you continue to refrain from giving in to the desire to kill me. You will need my help and that of my people for the battles that will surely come.”

… …

“Who does she think she is? This is Asgard, not Kemet,” Fandral shouted. “Why do we cower before the wrath of one lone woman?”

The council members eyed each other uneasily. “He is young,” Volstagg told them. “Fandral was an infant the last time we dealt with Isis and her kind. We are fortunate that Isis chose to come alone; she is far more amenable to reason than the others.”

“She’s insane; the bitch killed her own priestess. And for what? That monster?”

“Have a care, Fandral. You speak of the man our Crown Prince still considers his brother. Whether they are blood related or not, Thor and Loki grew up as such and Loki will always be in Thor’s heart.” Taking a hefty bite out of the turkey leg on his platter, Volstagg eyed the dashing younger warrior warily. Fandral was taking his scathing dismissal by the mortal woman poorly. It was unlike him to care that much about what any one woman thought of him. After all, he had dozens hanging on his every word whenever he chose to pay even scant attention to them. Of course, none of the women who doted on the man had accused him of wanting a place in Loki’s bed…oh. The thought surprised him so greatly he tried to swallow without chewing and had to grab a mug of ale and quaff a good amount down to keep from choking on the poorly chewed fowl.

Heimdall eyed Fandral solemnly. Loki must have acquitted himself well while awaiting recall on Midgard for the gatekeeper to speak in his defense. “Isis has power that without doubt rivals that of the All-Father,” the dark-skinned warrior rumbled. “Should she choose to channel the power of her Pantheon, she could defeat him easily, even should Thor and Frigga stand with him.” The eerie golden eyes narrowed. “Considering their anger with Odin, they would not.”

“Thor and Frigga…and even that misbegotten bastard Loki are not all of Asgard’s remaining might. Channeling power or not, a lone goddess could not take on all of us!”

Frey began chuckling quietly. The King of the Vanir sat on Asgard’s council as part of the peace treaty between the two realms and had been part of the deliberations over Loki’s fate. The fact that he was Frigga’s brother was the main reason the two realms had held that peace. “Fandral, you have not seen the Kemets’ power unleashed. Should Isis channel only Sekhmet, she could have laid waste to most who stood in the Great Hall, their power is that formidable. We are fortunate that they wanted nothing of Asgard or Vanaheim, and were willing to leave Midgard to its own devices when we did.” Fandral opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as Frey continued. “And actually, Loki was the legitimate son of Laufey and Fárbauti; it was not his fault that Odin stole him from Jötunheim after Laufey gave his son over to their priesthood to raise because of his size and mixed blood. It is also not his fault he takes after Fárbauti’s mother’s people. Laufey should have realized that any children Fárbauti bore him could favor her Vanir ancestors rather than her Jötunn father’s family. Now, if you’d like to discuss bastards, Thor is Odin’s illegitimate son, but I would not address him as a bastard were I you.”  

“Cowards, the lot of you,” Fandral hissed as he rose from the table and pushed through the gathering to leave the room.

“That boy is going to cause trouble,” Frey murmured.

“I doubt it not. We’d best take care. With the Mad Titan headed this way an alliance with the Kemet is likely our only hope. Heimdall, will you…?”

“Aye, Volstagg. I will keep close watch on his troublemaking. You should bespeak Sif and Hogun as well. They are loyal to Thor and will do their best to keep Fandral from raising too much of a ruckus.”

“Agreed.”

… …

Nick frowned at Agent Coulson. It seemed the man had caught on to the fact that the phrase regarding Tahiti being a magical place was coming out of his mouth too often to be natural. That was not good. It meant that he’d be questioning other anomalies that they could not avoid, such as a lack of muscle memory. There was only so much that could be accounted for by a devastating injury and intense rehabilitative therapy. “I don’t even want to know what could take over the mind of a god,” he muttered.

“Oh, I think you do,” Stark said, quietly for once. “If there was something bigger and badder behind Loki’s so-called invasion, you not only want to know about it, you _have_ to know about it. Otherwise we’re sitting ducks. There’s no way in hell we’re going to luck out again and get a reluctant and half-crazed general leading the next alien attack.”

Fury ruthlessly repressed a shudder. “You admit he’s crazy.”

“He definitely was; I’m not so sure about now. No, seriously,” Stark told the others, holding his hands up in a surrendering pose. “He went through a lot of shit in a very short period of time. His entire life was upended; everything he thought he knew about himself was revealed to be a lie and when he tried to kill himself in despair he ended up floating in something he called the void for what felt like years in his mind even though it was only months. Top that off by torture, brainwashing and when that didn’t work, outright mind control by some badass alien…and when I say alien, I mean alien even to him. You’ve got to expect some insanity.”

“That deranged bastard picked up a human woman, did God only knows what to her, and left her in such a state that Thor had to take her to Asgard. That’s a bit more than _some_ insanity,” Nick grated.

“Had consensual sex; we know this for a fact, we talked with her. She was actually pretty pleased with it and him; what she wasn’t pleased about was us showing up so that Loki had to get out of town or risk incarceration by S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Banner offered. “I can’t blame him for leaving; I’d have done the same.”

“Then I’ll ask once more, doctor. Why did Thor take her to Asgard?” Banner shrugged and looked at Stark; Stark was staring at the floor. “Stark, out with it or we’ll break your system down to its base components to get the information.” The man didn’t react well to threats, generally, but Nick had had it.

“Jarvis, relocate to Alpha, Beta, X-ray,” the genius ordered quietly.

“Immediately, sir.”

 “Have fun trying, asshole. All that you’re going to find is empty data storage.” The mother-fucking son of a bitch was wearing a smug smile. “You see, I got tired of you invading my privacy, so I got inventive. All of my data, including everything associated with last night’s home invasion, is now stored elsewhere.”

“Coulson, have your consultant track the data.”

The visage of his one-time top agent stared at him with the irritating smile normally reserved for uncooperative subjects like Stark. It was eerie seeing it on that face now, particularly directed at him. “I’m afraid Skye would have to have full access to accomplish that,” Coulson said. “Stark is quite capable of having routed his data through S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment.” The bland smile continued as the man shrugged. “It would be a waste of time, otherwise.”

Nick glared at them each in turn as he weighed the risk of allowing the still rather dangerous and unpredictable young woman full unsupervised access against the possibility that she could retrieve the data from last night’s tête-à-tête with the rogue god. “Never mind. He’s probably set up a wild goose chase that will net us nothing but pornography.”

“Huh. I’m going to have to change my tactics, you know me too well,” the billionaire muttered.

“Not well enough,” Nick grated.

… …

“Karma?” Kat asked. “I don’t understand.” After she’d had almost a pitcher of water and some bread and cheese to get her strength back, Isis had sat her and Loki down and told them that she was now the Kemetic goddess of Karma. It was weird enough thinking of herself as a goddess instead of a priestess, but of Karma, no less?

“You, my child, will be the deliverer of karmic retribution or reward to those who have earned either,” Isis told her. “I have gifted you with foresight, Bastet has gifted you with the ability to protect another individual, just with your very presence. Sekhmet has given you the ability to bring vengeance against those who deserve that. You have always had the ability, as my priestess, to mark another for my blessings. However, now that mark will be strong enough allow me to deliver karmic reward as well.”

“I can understand how the presence of one gifted with protection can protect another; I would think that their body generates some kind of protective shield,” Loki speculated and Isis nodded agreement. “But how will she bring retribution? Is she to physically do something to them? Those tiny claws aren’t going to do that much harm, particularly against the type of beings headed this way.”

Her goddess chuckled as Kat studied the literally kitten-like claws that now tipped her fingers instead of normal fingernails. “No, she will not need to attack anyone physically. However, Kat,” Isis directed to her. “You will have to know that someone truly deserves retribution and you will need to touch them to draw that retribution to them. You see, we are limited whilst we remain in Heliopolis. When you lay the hand of retribution upon an enemy of your home world, we shall be able to direct our energy, usually Sekhmet’s or Osiris’s, against that enemy without leaving our home. Without that connection, we would have to return physically to Earth. You do not want that for your people, my child. Not all of us are wise or care much for mortals; for one to return, all would be granted permission to do so and that would cause far more trouble for your people than our physical intervention in the battles to come would be worth.”

“You say ‘your people’. Are not the Kemets now Kat’s people?”

“We are, but our births took place in another Realm. Kat’s first birth, the birth where her soul originated, took place on Earth, that you call Midgard. The people of that Realm will always be Kat’s people first and foremost. Hers to punish, hers to reward, hers to protect. Again, you do not want the rest of us taking on that role again. It is best we remain in Heliopolis. Kat has free run of three Realms. Earth because she was born there, Asgard because she was reborn here, and Heliopolis because she was reborn of our power. Her travel between those Realms will not allow any others to do so.”

“Yet you came freely here?” Loki asked.

“Only because gods of another Pantheon threatened and did physical harm to my priestess. Else I would have needed Odin’s specific invitation to come without risking a war between us. Though my Pantheon would win, our losses would be great. I should rather avoid such a thing. That my priestess was harmed allows only me to come; it does not open the way to any of the others to physically travel here.”

“So anyone she touches…” Loki began.

“No. Only those she touches with specific intent. And Kat, do _not_ touch Odin with such intent. His power will be needed when the Mad Titan comes to your Realm. Your power means that once you touch another with intent to deliver their karma, it _must_ be delivered. We shall have no choice so you must do this wisely and circumspectly.”

“Got it; don’t just willy-nilly decide someone needs their karma; weigh it, use the foresight to see what effect it will have and then make a considered decision based on all of the possibilities.”

“Yes; it is a most dangerous gift that I entrust to you.”

Kat shuddered. “Great. Um, I do have an issue with a quick temper, you know.”

Isis smiled. “Yes, I know; you shall learn to control that temper and unleash it only when it is deserved.”

“Oh boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I couldn’t resist bringing in the gang from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; I will eventually be giving my own take on Phil’s death and apparent survival and on Skye’s parentage. Also, I am combining actual mythological elements with Marvel Comics canon for the Kemetic gods as I did in Fire and Ice and in this story for the gods of Asgard. Call it artistic license…I’m using what works and makes the most sense for me and for this story. I am also totally ignoring Thor: TDW. In my opinion they jumped the shark. Oh, and the directing and the director’s vision of Asgard sucked eggs, IMHO. I’m betting Joss didn’t like it either. Just a feeling.


	18. Let’s Make a Deal

Satisfied that Kat needed only rest to fully recover from her ordeal and from the shock of her minor physical changes, Isis left her new daughter in the godling’s care while she went to confront Odin. While she’d warned Loki that this time was for rest, the goddess did not doubt that the pair would get up to more in her absence. After all, it had been nearly a full day since she’d struck the former priestess down. Hiding a rueful smile, Isis stalked unerringly down the corridors, tracking the banked power that was the All-Father, greatest of the gods of Asgard. She ignored the pair of guards that followed several strides behind; so long as they did not interfere, she cared not what they did. Arriving at a gold trimmed set of double doors, Isis waited for her arrival to be noticed. The guards stared at her from down the hall, unsure what they should do now that the rival goddess was no longer in transit. Several moments passed before the doors were pulled open from within. A tall, blonde and brawny godling stood back and bowed; inviting her in with a sweeping gesture. “Lady Isis,” he rumbled. “Please, come in. My parents await you.”

His parents? Ah, this must be the Thunder god that Kat’s husband had mentioned; the one he called brother though they shared no bloodline. “Thank you, Prince Thor,” she responded politely. His eyebrows climbed up towards the pulled back mane of hair.

“How…did you…is Loki…?” he trailed off uncertainly, his expression troubled.

“Your brother is well and is caring for his beloved.”

Relief suffused the rough hewn features. “Then you did…”

“I did. And your brother managed to find the patience to allow me to live long enough to do so.”

Thor flushed. “He wouldn’t really…”

“Yes, he would.” She gave him a sidelong glance and a smirk as she passed by him on her way to the less pretentious inner door that remained closed between them and the King of Asgard. “Interestingly enough, I’m not so certain that he couldn’t manage the deed if he felt motivated.” The godling’s tan skin paled. Apparently Odin had shared his knowledge of her Pantheon with the boy. “Shall we speak with your father?”

“Yes, my lady. Of course.” He hastened to the inner door and opened it as well. Stepping through and to the side he announced her to his parents. “Lady Isis, mother goddess of the Kemet.”

Isis noted that Frigga rose to greet her. Odin, on the other hand, remained seated and simply glowered. “How is my daughter-in-law,” Frigga asked, worry evident on her lightly lined face. The Æsir and their cousins did not have the rebirthing rituals of the Kemet and after five or so millennia, tended to show their age, or at least the human equivalent. Frigga appeared to be about fifty-some in human years, which made her well over five thousand. Odin, Isis knew, was eight thousand years and some…and he came close to looking it. Their inability to heal the eventual aging meant that their lifespan was considerably shorter than that of the Kemet. She’d first met Odin when he was as young as his son, and she’d been nearly Frigga’s age then. This was another reason the Kemet were far more powerful on the whole. The longer a god survived, the greater their power grew.

“She is now my daughter,” Isis told Asgard’s queen. “And a goddess in her own right. I trust that removes your objection to her marriage to your adopted son,” she directed to Odin.

His eye narrowed. “Such an overly dramatic way to make your point,” he said with a scowl.

“The drama was yours and you know it. Do not dissemble with me, I shall call you on it every time. You need me and mine and I know it well. Let us come to an agreement, else I shall take my daughter and my son-in-law back to my Realm and leave you all to the tender mercies of Thanos.”

As she expected, Odin winced when she said the Titan’s name. “Please tell me you guard your words from his hearing?”

“All words spoken in this palace have been guarded since my arrival. I am not the fool you’ve often hoped I’d be.”

“Enough,” Frigga interjected. “My son’s wife lives and is a goddess, fine. But I want to know how she _is_.”

Isis allowed a smile to curve her lips. The Vanir woman was fond of Kat. Good. “She is well. Confused, disoriented, but happy to be reunited with her husband. And your son is grateful to have his wife back.”

“You didn’t…he didn’t…ah?”

“He held his temper long enough for me to explain what I intended. I had no cause to raise my hand against him. The way he contained his fury was quite impressive. I assume he learned that from you.”

Frigga smiled. “He certainly did not learn it from my husband,” she agreed.

“I am rather peeved with you, Odin,” Isis commented off-handedly. “That boy is powerful; easily more powerful than any other of your Pantheon, save perhaps yourself and your lady. Risking his sanity was sheer idiocy.”

The old Æsir sighed. “Loki has little sanity left to risk.” Isis stared at him, waiting for an explanation. “Over a year ago, he fell into the Void. We thought him dead. He either cannot or refuses to say how long he drifted therein. At some point he was found by the Titan’s minions and tortured into doing the Mad One’s bidding. He then led an invasion of Midgard.”

“Yet failed? I find that hard to believe; that one would make an able commander.”

“Certainly, if he wished to succeed. From what Thor tells me transpired, I believe Loki fully intended to fail as that is the only way he could fulfill a vow he was forced to make to the Titan. Else he would still be tied to that monster and he is not.”

“You underestimate him.” Odin glared at her as Frigga nodded in agreement. “He has found his own way to deal with impossible circumstances, I think.”

“He found a lifeline,” Frigga told them. “I do not know what this girl has that so many do not, but she had exactly what our son needed at the exact time he needed it. It is fate that they met.”

“Even the Norns have despaired of untwisting the skein of Loki’s life to weave it properly,” the aged Æsir said with a disgusted frown.

Isis was losing patience with Odin’s negativity. “I understood he is your god of Chaos. Is that not appropriate? Or is it that he is not under your tight control and that frustrates you?”

“He is prophesied to bring about Ragnarök wherein we are all expected to perish. That unnerves me. I have no wish to see my wife die at the hands of the son she loved so well.”

Ragnarök? Ah, she could see the connection. “I fear he has already brought it about, Odin. From the moment the Titan’s minions discovered him in the Void, it became unavoidable. Though it remains to be seen if you shall all perish. After all; he is the embodiment of Chaos.”

… …

Odin glowered at the Kemet. All of the prophesies stated that Loki would be the death of them all; however, none of them made any mention of the Kemetic gods’ involvement. Fenris, he’d long thought, could refer to someone other than Loki’s literal child, and it was this Fenris that actually was said to destroy the gods, not Loki. Loki’s misfortune had brought the Mad Titan’s attention back to the Nine Realms and that could well make such attention Loki’s metaphoric ‘child’.  He would have to swallow his pride and beg the damn woman for an alliance…or would he? “You say the drama is mine? You are the one who widowed my son. Now you seek to pass your daughter off as his wife? I do not think so.”

The Kemet’s jaw literally dropped. It hadn’t occurred to her that she’d put an end to the marriage by her actions. Good. “He pledged to her in good faith,” she hissed.

“He pledged to a mortal named ‘Kat’ in good faith. The girl you call daughter is no mortal. Is she even called Kat?”

“Odin, do not split hairs,” Frigga snapped. “Our son…”

“Our son is not married to a Kemetic goddess. He is the widower of a mortal. If Isis wishes that to change, then she shall need to bargain for their union.” He nodded as his lady sank back down in her chair. She understood that he would not block the marriage, so withdrew her interference. Also good. “So, my lady Isis; what is your daughter’s name?”

Isis gave him a heated glare and then unexpectedly smiled. “Well played, Odin. I’d not thought you so worthy an adversary. It gives me hope that you will make an equally worthy ally. My daughter’s new name is Ka-Maat. She is our goddess of Karma and will judge the living and dispense either retribution or reward as is called for by that being’s actions and heart.”

He forced his expression to remain neutral. “Will she hold that much power in and of herself?”

“No; that would not be allowed based on our treaties regardless of her soul-home being Earth. As my daughter she has the ability to channel the might of our Pantheon.”

“So she is essentially powerless here, then.”

“Not at all. She was reborn here. Her power does not require any action or permission on your part as mine did.”

The calm façade was difficult to maintain. Yes, a deal must be struck lest that snip of a girl bring them all down. “I will accept an alliance with the Kemet as Ka-Maat’s dowry,” he offered.

“You have a scarcity of women willing to marry your younger prince,” Isis countered. “Alliance will be achieved only through her happiness. The marriage, however, will require a bride-price. I am considered the mother of Kings, therefore my daughter is a princess and of great worth. What have you to offer me?”

“She shall be a princess of two Realms. Is that not enough?”

“It is not. You have something belonging to my people. We will have it back.”

Frigga drew in a sharp breath and gave him a wary look. She was right to do so; there were no other circumstances under which he would even consider returning the Lotus Staff to the Kemet. “Its power is too great; it must remain unused and safely protected.”

“If the Titan defeats all of us and enters your vault, who will protect it then? No, the staff shall be returned to our keeping.”

“Husband, we cannot make use of it. Return it to those who brought it into being.”

His queen had a point; but giving the Kemet such power…it was greater than their ability to resurrect the dead. That ritual cost them a great deal and was used only rarely; he’d been surprised to see it used so readily on the mortal woman. Though if Thanos should lay his cursed hands on the thrice-be-damned staff, he would twist its power into a mockery. “Done. The newborn goddess Ka-Maat will be given in marriage to my adopted son, Loki and you will reclaim the Lotus Staff for Heliopolis.”

“Agreed.”

… …

“I need your help,” Agent said quietly after the Matrix reject had left with his pet assassins and Coulson’s team had been ordered to return to their ‘bus’. He’d like to think of Romanov and Barton as his teammates, but they didn’t seem to be very team-minded. Tony chuckled to himself. Look who was talking about being part of a team, the ultimate loner and be your own everything genius.

“With what?” he finally said to a very alive looking Phil Coulson. “By the way, how bad is the scarring?”

“Pretty bad. I feel it every time I move my upper body.” Agent fell silent and stared at the floor, his usual condescending smile absent for once. Tony decided to wait for the man to speak his mind, so remained quiet for once and poured himself a few thumbs of the Jameson’s. “Something isn’t right,” Coulson finally said. “I’ve been noticing…discrepancies.”

“Such as?” Tony shot his science-bro a look as Banner spoke. The big guy had settled on the edge of a stool and was cleaning the glasses he rarely wore. Bruce looked concerned. Well, that was okay, he was pretty concerned as well. When S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top agent wanted your help and was avoiding his own agency, that meant shit was about to get real.

“Every time someone asks me about Tahiti, I either say or have to suppress an overwhelming urge to say ‘it’s a magical place’.” His expression twisted. “And my muscle memory is just…gone. Things I should be able to do half-conscious, I have to think about how to do, and think about it carefully. Have you any idea how much that delays my reaction times?”

“Sounds dangerous,” Tony told him; it sounded like it could be the difference between life and death, actually.

“It is. Not just for me, but for my team.”

“So, let me get this straight. You die, however briefly, spend months in rehab in Tahiti, and then are given your own trouble-shooting team that has a clearance level higher than that of the Avengers? That’s kind of, I don’t know, fishy.”

“It’s wrong. I didn’t dwell on it at first; I assumed Fury had been intending to set up this team before I was taken out of the game and was simply going forward with it as soon as I’d recovered. “Problem is, I can’t find anything in any of the records I have access to that indicates that to be the case.”

“Wait, aren’t you like way up there in the chain of command, clearance up the ass and all of that? What can’t _you_ access? Do I even want to know?”

“Exactly. I did a records search for something specific two days ago; what I was looking for isn’t important,” Agent added when Tony opened his mouth to ask. “For the first time in five years I was told that I was not cleared for the information. My security level has increased twice in those five years, yet this was information that should have been accessible even to someone at your level. Six, before you ask.”

“I’m only a six?” He turned and admired himself in the mirror behind the bar. “I would have thought I rated a nine, at least, even before you add in the genius, billionaire playboy aspects.”

Agent smiled, as Tony had hoped. “Security level six, Mr. Stark. The agents that have expressed any opinion in the matter rate you as only an eight out of ten because they consider you a considerable pain in the backside.”

“That seems fair. Uh, do you think you could call me Tony? After all, I call you Agent.”

“Funny,” the agent said, not sounding amused at all. Oh well, tough audience. “Tony,” he said, surprisingly. “Something is off and I’m being kept out of the loop. I trust my team, and only my team to be open with me. We’ve been through a lot together in the short time we’ve been together. I need to be able to trust someone else. I’m choosing to trust the two of you,” he continued, gesturing at both him and Bruce. “Tell me I’m not making a mistake.”

Damn. Yeah, shit was getting serious. He put down the whiskey and stepped away from the bar. “You’re not making a mistake. How can we help?”

… …

Kat sighed, reveling in the feel of Loki’s strong arms holding her close. His lean hands caressed her skin lightly, almost…reverently. She looked up at him to find a brooding expression on his sharp featured face. “What’s wrong?” she asked. He frowned down at her and she felt a wave of dread. “Loki? Please, you’re scaring me.”

“It’s all right,” he assured. “Everything is…fine.”

“Why do I feel like you’re lying to me?”

He huffed irritably. “I cannot lie to you, as well you know. “Do not worry, I will keep my vow to you even though you are not the same woman to whom I pledged.”

That sounded ominous. “I-what are you talking about?”

“You’re no longer mortal, Kat. You are a goddess. That changes our relationship.”

“What? Why? I-don’t you want me anymore? Did you like the idea of me getting old and dying in a few decades? Is it different now that forever may be a few thousand years?”

“It’s not that. I pledged to a submissive mortal, not to a goddess. It’s no fault of yours that your sweet submission was the part I loved best about you. You didn’t plan or want to change.”

What in hell was he talking about? “Loki, I haven’t changed; not like that, anyway.”

“Please. You’re a goddess, one of potentially great power. True submission is no longer in your nature.”

“Don’t they have that saying about the word _assume_ here? Though you’re making an ass out of yourself and not me,” she muttered crossly.

“Arguing with me, kitten? That is not the action of a submissive.”

“Poop. I’m a sexually submissive toy, not a service submissive or a submissive slave. There’s a difference and you know that better than most men would.”

“Still…”

“There’s no still about it. Loki, I was powerful in my mortal life, at least compared to other mortals. People depended on me, sought my favor. They begged me for help. It was a lot of pressure being a priestess. Isis had a really large following in that part of Nevada. As her senior priestess, not just in Las Vegas, but in the entire Pacific time zone, I had to constantly juggle responsibilities and decisions, not to mention make a living. Being a sexual submissive is what gave me balance and allowed me to do it without losing perspective. Don’t you think I’m going to need that balance, that release, even more?” He stared at her, his jaw slightly dropped. “Loki, I still need you, exactly the way I did before. Hell, maybe even more.”

“Language,” he chided.   

“I still need everything you can do to me, for me.” She smirked and almost laughed as his eyebrows shot up at her expression. “And if you don’t like my language, maybe you should punish me for using it.”

“Hmm. You’d like that, would you?”

She twisted in his arms and knelt before him. “You should spank me just to remind me who’s boss.”

“Perhaps you should behave. Your goddess insisted that you needed to rest.”

“I rested for an entire day…”

“You were _dead_ for an entire day. Kat…damnation, woman; do you have any idea how that made me feel?”

“Yeah, actually, I do. It was strange, I didn’t have any real emotions of my own, but I could feel yours. I know how scared you were, I know how alone you felt.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and touched the tip of her nose to his. “You’ll never be alone again, Loki. I love you.” He sighed again and she accepted his far too gentle kiss. “Though I’d love you a lot more if you took some of that stress out on my very needy body,” she told him as she pressed her bare breasts against his chest.

Loki laughed softly. “Oh, kitten; what am I to do with you?”

“Fuck me senseless?”

“Language.”

“Spanking?” She squealed as he spun her around and bent her over his lap. A resounding smack sounded through the room as his palm connected with her ass.

“I did not hold back all that much when you were human. What would it take to make you orgasm from this alone now, I wonder?” She wriggled against him in response and moaned as he struck both cheeks in quick succession. “Though you haven’t been aroused else wise this time. Perhaps it won’t bring you. Shall we find out?”

Apparently he’d either forgotten or decided he could ignore the advice to rest, wonderful! “Yes, please,” she said and wriggled again as he resumed the spanking. Somehow, it didn’t seem as good as it had been before. But Isis had said she was stronger. Hmm. “Please, harder?”

His eyes narrowed and his hand came down with much greater force. The smarting burn rushed through her and she could feel the moisture gathering. “Did you feel that?” he asked.

“Oh ,yes; punish your naughty kitten.” Loki laughed and began spanking her in earnest. Her breasts were rubbing against the material of the couch upon which he was sitting, providing an erotic counterpoint to the not really pain in her stinging ass. Kat moaned and almost made the mistake of reaching for her nipples. Loki spotted the aborted movement. “Good girl; you almost tried to help yourself along, didn’t you?”

“Yesssss.”

“But you stopped; that deserves a reward, I think.” She wiggled her butt in happy anticipation. A ripple of magic rushed over them and Loki was suddenly naked as well. His hard cock was pressing firmly against her belly. He reached under her and felt her sex. “Nicely wet.” His fingers slipped in…and stopped. “What in the Nine?”

“What’s wrong?” His face was a study in consternation. “Loki?”

 “You…you were reborn. I knew that was what she said; she explained it fairly well, but it didn’t occur to me…” he trailed off as his erection softened.

“Loki? You’re starting to scare me again”

“Ah, no, love.” He turned her around so that she sat on his thighs. “There’s naught wrong, exactly. It’s just that…well, you’re now an intact virgin. I don’t think the activity I had planned would have been particularly pleasing for you.”

“I’m…oh shit.”

“Language,” he said sternly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bride Price versus Dowry. A Bride Price was traditionally paid when there were fewer worthy women available and is intended to compensate the bride’s family for her loss. A Dowry was traditionally brought by a woman into a marriage when she was marrying above her station to compensate the groom for not marrying a woman who was his equal.
> 
> I’ll try to get another chapter written before I leave for Las Vegas just after Christmas, but no promises! Yes, VEGAS. Miguel’s Tequila Bar and $2 Margaritas are real! The condo just across the street from the South Point Hotel and Casino is real as well, but is a time-share, not mine alone. Rico, alas, is fictional along with Kat and the Marvel Universe characters, mores the pity.


	19. Discoveries, Part Deux

The guards followed her back to the chambers belonging to her new daughter’s lover. Ignoring them once again, Isis glided down the corridors wondering why Loki’s rooms were so far from those of his adoptive parents. She stopped abruptly and frowned at the guards. “Where are Prince Thor’s chambers?” she asked.

The two stared at each other for a moment and one of them shrugged. “On the opposite end of this corridor from his brother’s, my lady.” The other started to protest and was hushed. “It’s no secret; everyone in the Valhöll knows it,” he told his companion.

Ah, so both princes were housed far from their parents; it was not, as she had first feared, a flagrant attempt at isolating the adopted son. “Thank you,” she said to the helpful guard before continuing on her way. Reaching Loki’s door, she narrowed her eyes at the guards stationed there. They immediately stood aside to allow her free access. Wise of them. Throwing open the door without knocking, Isis entered swiftly, expecting to catch the reunited lovers disobeying her instructions and was almost disappointed that they were not. She found Loki sitting at the head of his bed with Kat ensconced in his lap. The new goddess was cuddled into him, her head resting on his chest just under his chin. “I’m…surprised.”

Loki met her gaze. “Don’t be, it isn’t for lack of intention.” Her eyebrows rose. “I did tell her she needed to rest, but I’m certain you know her better than I.”

“That is why I am so astonished.”

He huffed a short laugh. “She was well on her way to tempting me to ignore your orders when I discovered something that totally derailed our activity. Did you know that her body is now virginal? I was stunned to discover that her maidenhood is intact.” She couldn’t hold in her laughter and the godling narrowed his eyes into a venomous glare. “It is _not_ amusing,” he grated.

“No? I am visualizing your expressions when you made this discovery. I imagine Kat was none too pleased.” The face the godling made was every bit as hilarious as she imagined was the one she had missed.

“You would be correct. Needless to say we discontinued our play and I soothed her into sleep,” he looked down at the girl who was now stirring in his grasp. “Which your amusement has ended.” Loki combed his fingers through the girl’s soft curls as she shifted her position and opened her eyes. “Isis has returned, love,” he told her. Kat nodded and yawned slightly. “So, my lady; did you know this would happen?”

A fair question. “It has been well over a millennia since this ritual was used and then it was used on a male. If we ever knew, it was forgotten.”

“Then I shan’t hold you to account for it,” he allowed grudgingly.

Her lips twitched as she nodded in acceptance. “Your father is wilier than I would have suspected based on our past acquaintance.”

The godling’s eyes narrowed. “He is not my…”

“By nurture, he most certainly is, though not, obviously, by blood.” The young man sighed tiredly. “I made a slight error, but not to worry, it will all be resolved.”

“What kind of error?” he grated, heat entering his tone.

“Loki,” Kat murmured, patting his chest. “Calm down.”

“I am calm; were I not, your goddess would be feeling my wrath.”

“You would deprive your beloved of her mother? For that is what I am, now; make no mistake.”

“That depends upon your error and how it might be resolved.”

He sounded so terribly serious that Isis had to chuckle. Unfortunately, that did little for his disposition. “Do calm yourself,” she managed. “I take your threats very seriously. I informed your brother that I believed you quite capable, out of all of Asgard’s gods, of actually doing me harm.” He relaxed marginally. “Your _father_ ,” she said again, deliberately. “Pointed out that by sacrificing my priestess to create a daughter I had widowed you.” The godling’s face paled, no mean feat considering his normal complexion. “However, he is amenable to giving his adopted son in marriage to the Kemetic goddess, Ka-Maat.”

“See, Loki? It’ll be…” Kat began.

“Silence.” Loki’s voice cracked through the room like a whip. Her new daughter’s eyes widened and then narrowed in obvious irritation as she began to speak anyway. “Do _not_ , Kat; if you defy me in this I will know that I was correct.” Kat gasped and then closed her mouth, looking troubled. Loki frowned down at the girl, one eyebrow lifting. Isis waited as Kat looked up at him, a sadness in her daughter’s eyes for which Isis could not account. Finally, the godling nodded and combed his fingers through the girl’s curls soothingly. “Thank you, love.” His voice had gentled and he brushed a kiss against Kat’s forehead before turning his attention back. “What does my _father_ demand in recompense for allowing this marriage?”

Loki was no fool; Kat had chosen well. “He demanded much, but received only that which I had originally intended; an alliance with the Kemet against Thanos.” The young man gave her an alarmed look. “Be at ease; as I told Odin, I have blocked all conversation in this palace from the Titan’s perception so long as I am here.”

“I do not understand why he gave in so easily and for so little.”

“He gave up more than your bachelorhood, dear boy. I informed him that the alliance would take place only to ensure my daughter’s happiness. After all, if the Titan comes and destroys her beloved, she would be most miserable. But if he wished a marriage between you two, another thing necessary to ensure her happiness, I would be owed a Bride Price.”

… …

Loki’s mouth twisted. “Of course. I am, after all, tainted goods. Who else would have me, a Jötunn monster?”

“Only a bit more than half Jötunn,” Isis informed him.

“What?”

“Your mother, Queen Fárbauti, was half Vanir, Laufey was a quarter Æsir. That makes you a quarter Vanir and an eighth Æsir. In addition to the Jötnar ice magic, I can feel the magic of both of those races in you, though the Vanir magic is stronger. Do you have an affinity for illusion?”

“Yes,” he said faintly, reeling in shock.

“That is the specialty of the Vanir. As is shape-shifting and other physical magic affecting your own person. The Æsir mages specialize in healing and offensive magic. That is what makes them superior warriors. They can augment their battles and heal their own when they fall.”

“Interesting; that explains much. Still, at more than half Jötunn, most of the Realms would consider me unfit to wed their daughters.”

The Kemet shrugged a slender shoulder. “I do not and it is my opinion that counts.”

Loki stared at the foreign goddess, brooding as he absently petted the woman in his lap. “What price did the All-Father agree to pay to rid himself of the embarrassment of an unmarriageable son?”

“It has naught to do with any embarrassment, nor with your worthiness as a husband, boy. Odin _needs_ this alliance; he would have offered his heir as my daughter’s husband had he thought it would do him any good. The Titan has faced Asgard before, when Odin’s father yet lived. That battle, while eventually won by Asgard, weakened the Æsir race so greatly that Bor was vulnerable to Jötunn magic, which, I perceive, you could wield as strongly as a full-blood. Their ice turned him to naught but a pile of snow to be blown away by the wind. Thanos has grown in power since then.” 

“I was unable to stand against him,” he admitted.

“Yet you resisted his control and caused his plans to fail. That in itself tells me that you bear more power than Odin All-Father.”

Loki shrugged, uncomfortable with the assessment. He’d spent his entire life trying to please that man; the knowledge that perhaps he held more power made that effort feel even more demeaning. “It matters little at this point.”

“It matters greatly.” The Kemet threw her hands up into the air with a disgusted sound when he shook his head to disagree. “My daughter could not love a fool; you must find focus and put past disappointment behind you.”

Was she threatening the loss of Kat’s love? He glared at her, trying to assess the meaning behind her words. Ah, no. This was her attempt to shock him out of his self-disparagement. “I have been a fool in the past, it’s true. Now I simply no longer care.”

“You’d best start to care, or the Nine Realms will be lost and your love along with them.”

He tightened his arms around the newborn goddess who was rubbing her cheek against his collarbone. Gods, he loved that display of her affection. “What bride price did you demand?”

“Know you of the Lotus Staff?”

The…yes, he did. Surely Odin would not…no. “He refused, naturally.”

“He did not, in the end. Upon your marriage to Ka-Maat, the Lotus Staff shall be returned to the Kemet.”

“Isis?” Kat asked. “Are the legends I’ve heard of it true? Can it really bring someone back from the brink of death?”

“It can do much more than that, my daughter, it can also restore youth and heal most injuries and illnesses. Before its loss, my priestesses were virtually immortal. In your first life as my High Priestess you served me for nearly two thousand years. I came to hate Asgard when I was forced to watch you die. Though I was able to chart your rebirth and bring you back to my service each time in your new body, my anger with them grew. It is fitting that your love for one of them means that I need not watch you die again.”

“I’m told the Kemet are more powerful than the gods of Asgard,” Loki interjected. “Why did you not simply take it back?”

“We’d made a pact. When Set plotted against my husband, killed him and hid the pieces of his body across the galaxy, it was Asgard that used their power of travel through the Bifröst to restore his remains to me. Once I used the Lotus Staff to resurrect him, I had to hand it over to Asgard in payment for their service. I was forced to pledge that it would remain Asgard’s treasure until their ruler willingly returned it.” Smirking, Isis added, “They were a bit perturbed to discover that only a Kemet could make use of its powers.” She shrugged. “So, we kept our bargain and found other ways to restore life, though those ways can only be used as a last resort since the sacrifice of a human life is required and it takes so much power that the participation of no fewer than five members of the pantheon is needed.”

“So Kat was the means to an end for you?” Loki couldn’t hold back the snide tone.

“No. The others knew how much she meant to me. They also knew that once Thanos finished with Asgard he would destroy the other Realms. We feel responsible for the safety of Midgard; we left that Realm to give humanity the chance to develop their own power and destiny, independent of us. Yet we cannot defeat him alone; we cannot travel so easily while retaining our power as the Æsir gods can. The return of the Lotus Staff is a happy additional benefit.”

“And who did you sacrifice, or does that not matter?”

Isis stared at him for a moment and then chuckled. “Kat was very much alive and in no danger of dying, my boy. She was her own sacrifice.” He closed his eyes as the stupidity of his question struck him. “None of that,” the goddess continued. “You’ve been through much this past day, it is small wonder you missed the significance of her death.”

… …

“If the records that Jarvis pulled from S.H.I.E.L.D. were accurate, this is unprecedented,” Bruce told Agent…Phil.

“In what way?” the man asked in his usual mild tone. Tony wanted the answer to that one, too.

“We have a complete log from before the attack; Tony was miffed about the weapons they were hiding so had Jarvis copy every last file they had. First, your blood type doesn’t match…well, not exactly. While your blood _type_ hasn’t changed, it’s still A, your Rhesus factor has changed from Rh-positive to Rh-negative. Current S.H.I.E.L.D. records, of course, indicate that it was always negative.”

“That’s not possible,” Tony had to interject. “I may not be a geneticist, but even I know that much.”

“Exactly.” His science bro ran both hands through his unruly hair as he paced the room. “To accomplish this artificially, they would have had to drain every bit of blood from your body, then inject you with the proper antigens and finally replace all of your blood with Rh-negative blood and even then it might not work. It doesn’t make any sense. I mean, seriously. You’d have had to have been…” he hesitated and gave Coulson a wary look.

“Dead? And for much more than a few minutes?” was the too calm response.

“Days. I don’t see how it’s even possible. It certainly blows a hole in pretty much every existing religious theory.”

“Unless I no longer have a soul.”

Ouch, he thought. While he prided himself on being an atheist - it was part of his ‘billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist’ image, after all; the thought of not having a soul after believing you had one would be hellish for anyone who _did_ believe. “They talk about souls hanging around because they have unfinished business. You left the world in a hell of a mess; maybe your soul stuck around long enough for them to fix your body? I mean, you don’t seem soulless. If anything, you seem like you’re more…uh, soulful.”

The lips that usually remained in a slightly wry smile twitched upward. “Thanks, Tony. That…that helps.” Coulson’s eyes dropped to the floor and he looked thoughtful. “I got a S.H.I.E.L.D. physician to admit I was dead for a week. Does that fit your timeline, Dr. Banner?”

Bruce placed the glasses he’d been fiddling with in his pocket. “Yes, very neatly, though I really think the change was an unintentional side-effect of whatever else they did. Being dead that long would account for the problems you’ve been having with muscle memory, though. I can’t see how they managed to restore you after that long without the death of more brain cells than I’d like to imagine. The good news is that we only use a very small portion of those cells and that our memories and experiences are stored over and over again in many different areas of the brain; there’s a built-in redundancy, so to speak. That means you likely haven’t lost much if anything else.”

“Except maybe my soul?” the suggestion was bitter.

“I tend to agree with Tony. You seem more human…more approachable than ever. If the soul exists, I believe you still have it and that it has grown in some ways.”

“What about Miss Philharmonic?” Tony asked.

Coulson’s eyes narrowed. “What about her?”

He hunched his shoulders at the kind of deadly tone. “I made sure she was okay financially; Stark Industries came up with a grant in her specialty, researching and recreating early cello music, but Pepper connected with your lady-love and said she was emotionally wrecked. How are you going to break it to her that you’re alive?”

An infinitely sorrowful expression came over the agent’s face. “I’m not. She needs to go on with her life; considering all that’s happened and the lies I’ve…that we’ve all been told, it’s safer for her. I shouldn’t have indulged myself in a romance to begin with. These things never end well for us.”

Tony gave all of the broken or thoroughly screwed up romances he knew of some thought; him and Pepper, Bruce and Betty, Cap and Peggy, Thor and Jane, Loki and Kat. “While I’ll concede that you have a point, does that mean you’re just going to give up? I mean, really; giving up isn’t your thing.”

“Morally, at the moment, I don’t have any other choice.” Tony raised a hand to protest. “No, Tony; leave it be. I can’t go there, not now. Maybe not ever. It’s for the best, at this time.”

“Okay, your decision. But if you change your mind and need some help, let me know. I’ve kind of gone into the second chances business lately, it’s a nice change.”

… …

Kat waited nervously in the corridor outside of the humungous golden doors of the Great Hall where Loki had been sentenced. This time she was awaiting a summons from Isis to be introduced as the goddess Ka-Maat and to be formally betrothed to Loki. It irked her that they had to go through all of this rigmarole, but Loki was worth it; or at least he would be if he got it through his head that she really was still sexually submissive and treated her that way. An anticipatory shiver snaked down her spine as she imagined once more being helpless in his bed…or on whatever other piece of furniture he deigned to place her. If she hadn’t been so absorbed in that lovely thought, maybe she would have noticed the disappearance of the men assigned to guard her. “Well, if it isn’t the not so little mortal trollop.”

She turned slowly, dread replacing the delicious shiver. That jealous ass, Fandral, leaned against the wall in a carefully casual pose. “Wrong on both counts,” she informed him.

“Doubtful. What will you do now that Thor is not here to protect your honor, or lack thereof, hussy?” He pushed off from the wall and approached. Kat raised her chin, knowing that if she backed up she would lose without there even being a fight. “And what manner of raiment is this?” he asked, gesturing at the gorgeous green, gold and black Egyptian inspired dress that Loki had conjured for her.

“It suits my new race and position. You might want to back off; I’m not as helpless as you apparently believe.”

“New race? New position? Oh, truly, what position is that? On your knees with that plump arse up in the air, subjugated as one such as you is meant to be?”

Great. A wanna-be Dom, aka a bully who really should be handed over to an experienced Dom to teach him a hard lesson. “Never for you,” she managed to say mildly. “You did see Isis kill the mortal version of me, right?”

“Obviously a ruse. No wonder you took so well to the service of Asgard’s trickster if you worship her.”

Kat sighed. “Look, idiot. It wasn’t a trick, I did die, I was resurrected and I’m no longer human. Back off before you force me to hurt you.” The fool laughed and, moving faster than she expected, even knowing his kind were a lot faster and stronger than even the Kemet, grabbed her upper arm in a painful grip. She found herself turning reflexively and clawing at his face. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, she forgot she now had real, razor sharp, claws. He shrieked and threw himself backward as blood spurted from the five deep gashes.

“Bitch!” he yelled and pulled the rapier-like sword that hung from his belt. Oh boy. That could be a problem. This time he took her claws into account as he approached and grabbed her around the waist, pinning both arms at her side with one arm after she’d sidestepped away from his initial feint. He snapped the sword back into its holder and took a cruel hold on one of her breasts and dug in mercilessly. Because she did not trust him, because the act was not part of something she’d consented to, the pain was just that, painful. But it was nothing compared to the pain of resurrection. Lifting her feet she first kicked outwards at the doors, sending them crashing open. Thank Isis that a Kemet’s strength was more than a human’s; she’d have broken her legs trying that otherwise! Next she twisted in his grasp and kicked backwards. It wasn’t enough to force him to let her go, but it did make him stagger into the Great Hall. Heads were starting to turn in their direction from the sound of the opening doors. She screamed to get their full attention.

… …

“Put her down,” Odin bellowed as he pulled himself to his feet using Gungnir as a staff. The years had not been kind to his knees, and he was long overdue for the restorative Odinsleep. He reached out and grabbed Loki’s arm with his free hand and hissed an order to stay. Thor’s imbecile of a friend was staring mutely at them, blood trickling from gashes across his once handsome face, one arm still holding and the opposite hand still molesting the new goddess. “Guards,” he ordered, gesturing with Gungnir. The guards assigned to the door moved in and forced Fandral to put the girl down, then held him in place and divested him of his weapons.

Isis nodded to him and strode down the aisle to her daughter and took her into a comforting embrace. “Are you hurt, my daughter?” she said, making it clear to all that the chit was no longer to be considered mortal.

“Not seriously. Just a little bruised.”

“All-Father, I demand…”

He loosed his grip on Loki who had settled down and raised the hand to forestall the Kemet’s next words. “No need to demand, Lady Isis. His guilt is clear and his punishment is yours to decree.” There was a slight stir in the crowd. He tracked it to note that Fandral’s usual companions, Hogun, Volstagg and Sif had shifted in their places and all wore uneasy expressions. Not one of them appeared to be considering a move to intervene, however. Very interesting.

“Not mine, _Lord_ Odin.” He grimaced as she used the equivalent of the title with which he had addressed her. She was every bit as much a queen as he a king, and she was not going to let him forget it. “My daughter, Ka-Maat is the injured party. I wish her to determine his punishment as is her duty in our Pantheon.”

His eyes closed briefly as he considered it. Beside him, Frigga touched his wrist soothingly. Loki and Thor stood to his right on the dais, both of them tense as they awaited his response. Apparently Isis wanted her daughter’s power to bring on a person’s Karma whilst they still lived demonstrated. There were two sides to this: first, it would prove the girl’s worthiness to wed a Prince of Asgard; second, it would forestall any other attacks or any retaliation against her for whatever punishment the fop was decreed. “Very well, Queen Isis,” he responded. The woman nodded with a slight smile acknowledging his recognition that he had not done her the proper courtesy. “The punishment for Lord Fandral’s attack on Princess Ka-Maat is hers to decree and bestow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay. Between trips to Disneyland (did you like the photo of me with ‘Thor’?), Las Vegas (and the pictures of Miguel’s Tequila Bar and the South Point Casino from Kat’s condo?), a bad case of the flu, and the start of the Spring Semester at the college where I’m on staff, this one took FOREVER to write. I’m hard at work on the next chapter, but have a question for you…what form would you like to see Fandral’s Karma take? I’ll be open to ideas for the next few days. Please message me here or on my Tumblr account if you have one. Also, see my Tumblr account for Ka-Maat’s dress.


	20. Karma is a Bitch (and so am I)

Fandral struggled futilely in the grip of the elite guardsmen. His face was throbbing where the wench's claws had cut deep furrows into his skin. Where in the Nine had she come up with claws? Was her death and resurrection not the ruse he had thought? Was she now a member of the Kemetic Pantheon? If so, what was her position and, more importantly, her power? He shuddered nervously as the All-Father decreed: "The punishment for Lord Fandral's attack on Princess Ka-Maat is hers to decree and bestow."

Odin gestured and the guards urged him forward. His instincts screamed at him to fight it, to somehow get away and flee for his very life, but he was no craven boy. Chin high he stepped forward with confidence, refusing to allow anyone to see his fear. Loki, the Jötunn cast-off, was smirking. What did he know? The only reason he wasn't soiling himself was sheer willpower. The guards stopped directly in front of Hliðskjálf and pushed him down to his knees. "I am of Asgard, All-Father. It is not for another Pantheon to either judge or punish me for my actions," he said boldly.

Their king glowered at him. "Had you been within the Great Hall as you were ordered, you would know that this court was called to announce the Betrothal of my younger son, Prince Loki, to the Princess Ka-Maat. As the princess will be a member of Asgard's Royal House, your offense will be punished by Asgard when she bestows it."

He swallowed, desperately trying to contain his shock. That mortal harlot was going to be a Princess of Asgard? What an obscenity! "Father, may I speak?" Loki asked in a patently false humble tone.

"Of course, my son," Odin replied as Fandral tried not to gag.

"It might interest the populace to know that the daughter of Queen Isis, Princess Ka-Maat, is the Kemetic goddess of Karma." Loki spoke the words to the hall at large, but the directness of his gaze and his expression made it clear that his words were for Fandral alone. "I, for one, would be quite pleased to see my future bride's gift in action."

Karma? Fandral turned his head to stare at the two foreign women who now approached Hliðskjálf. The redhead was shaking with anger. Gods; Karma was a bitch.

… …

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do," Kat hissed to Isis as they walked up the aisle. "What if I screw it up in front of all of these people?" she asked.

Her goddess smiled. "You cannot, my daughter; have faith."

"Easy for you to say."

"Lay your hands upon the miscreant and ask silently for judgment to be made and for his Karma to be known to you. Once you see what he has earned, look ahead to the results of it being bestowed. If all looks well, ask for it to be bestowed and then tell him, aloud this time, that his Karma is upon him."

"Great. No possible way to get it wrong, oh no. Hah." Isis remained silent but Kat could feel her amusement…and her confidence. "Fine; I'll do my best."

"That is all I have ever asked of you, child."

True enough. The Asgardian fop was kneeling before Odin's throne, his jaw set and his shoulders tense. The gashes in his face had already stopped oozing blood, but were still red and wet. They'd probably be gone in a few days based on what little she'd been told of the natural healing ability of the Æsir. She reached out and felt a pull to put her hand on his chest. Deciding not to question it, she looked at the guards. "I need him standing, please."

"On your feet," Odin ordered and the guards reached for their prisoner. Fandral warned them off with a glare and stood on his own, his chin up and a mixture of hatred and fear in his eyes.

She stepped closer, ignoring her own fear, and placed her open palm on his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly just below it. Hmm, over his heart, that made sense. Though the organ had nothing to do with someone's compassion or lack thereof, the heart chakra, located in the same place, did. Images rushed through her head at a dizzying pace. Hundreds of women, many of them lovelorn, all of them eventually rejected, oddly interspersed with images of Loki. Loki sparring in an arena, armed with nothing but knives, a staff and a fierce grin. Loki reading a musty looking book while Thor and his friends laughed and joked and tossed food and bottles of some kind of drink back and forth trying to distract him until her love raised one hand and all of the items suddenly stopped, suspended in midair while he smiled mischievously. Loki walking out of a small lake, naked, dripping and…oh boy. Her accusation in the hall the other day was more spot-on than she had thought. Every one of those images…Fandral, the greatest womanizer in all of Asgard, was in love with Loki? "I-I can't do this," she whispered.

"You must," Isis told her in an implacable tone. "Only you can do so justly."

But what was justice in this case? His attacks, verbal and physical, on her were made out of jealousy. Kat realized that Fandral was already suffering part of his Karma; he loved someone who would never return his love. Not that she thought Loki couldn't love a man as easily as a woman; he simply could not love someone who could never understand him. What did still deserve punishment was the way he had treated women; encouraging them and then carelessly setting them aside; sometimes taking the only things they had to give, their hearts and their innocence, when he had no appreciation of either. Silently she asked what would be a just punishment for this behavior. More images flooded through her mind. A woman, blonde with a lush body, her face marred by scars was central to each. Kat gasped as she realized the 'woman' was Fandral and that she/he was being used and discarded, just like he had done, by man after man. It seemed to cruel at first, but she decided to ask to look ahead and see the result. A final image resolved itself. Fandral, himself again, the scars faded to faint and rakish lines, was revealed laughing with children that resembled him climbing him like a tree. A woman stood nearby, one of average looks but a serene expression, smiling at the sight. As she watched this future Fandral reached out a hand to her and pulled her into a close embrace with the children. "Fandral, known as the Dashing, I have seen your Karma," Kat found herself saying.

"Get on with it, bitch," he hissed as she backed away.

Kat gave the former womanizer a pitying look. "You know, that's the interesting thing about my gift; Karma is only a bitch if you are." She glanced up at Odin on his ostentatious throne. "All-Father," she began, mindful that Isis had addressed the nasty fart as such. "May I proceed?"

The white eyebrow rose over the king's single eye. "Of course, child."

She tried not to bristle at being called 'child'; the old man's tone had been surprisingly…kind. "Fandral, your Karma is upon you and you cannot escape it. But know this; should you learn its lesson and truly repent your actions, you will be restored and will find true happiness." Reaching out with both hands instinctively, a golden mist emerged from her palms and enveloped the man. Kat bit back a moan as a hot flash of power surged through her body. As the mist cleared, all in the room, save her and Isis, were audibly shocked. The sheer variety of gasps, hisses, groans and half-heard mutters made her dizzy. Where the bleeding warrior had stood, proud and tall, was a curvy woman wearing Fandral's clothes, the gashes Kat had left on his/her face healed over into ugly scars. "May you learn your lesson quickly," she said.

… …

Sif bit the inside of her cheek to hold back inappropriate laughter. While horrifyingly tragic, Fandral's transformation into an unattractive woman was a most apt punishment. He needed to learn how his careless dismissal of women felt. But surely, that couldn't be all of it? "All-Father?" she asked as she stepped forward. "Might I address the princess?"

"You may."

"Your Highness, forgive me if I misstep, but other than seeing things from the other side of the fence, so to speak, what can this transformation teach him…ah, her?"

The somewhat plump woman in the extravagant, even by Asgardian standards, dress sighed. "Not only has a philanderer been transformed into the very type of person he's always used and discarded with no regard for their heartbreak, he, or rather, she now, will repeatedly fall in love with men of the same ilk and they will treat her just as he would have." The new goddess's nose crinkled and she turned to face the All-Father. "Your Majesty? For this Karma to be fully realized, Fandral must be sent to Earth, uh, Midgard as you call it, where her situation will not be known. If she remains here, she will have no opportunity for redemption."

"My friends there will see that he…Fandral has the means to live comfortably, though not lavishly," Thor offered. "They will also see that, ah, Fandral neither causes nor comes to any true harm."

Sif stole a glance back at the daughter of Isis. Her nose was crinkling again in apparent thought, but she then nodded. "That won't interfere," she agreed.

Fandral, for his/her part, was staring about the Great Hall appearing dazed. _She_ finally caught sight of _hers_ elf in one of the polished gold walls and let out a horrified wail. "What have you done?"

"She has dispensed justice," Queen Frigga, surprisingly, said in an implacable tone. "Long have you abused the hearts and trust of women in this realm; you will learn the error of your ways. Think well on it; I add my wishes to those of the princess that you might learn your lesson quickly. Guards, take Fandral away to a cell until Thor has the opportunity to make arrangements with his friends on Midgard."

Odin nodded as the guards looked to him for confirmation. It wasn't that they questioned Frigga, Sif knew. They were stunned by the turn of events and wanted the All-Father's assurance that this punishment would stand. They stepped forward and took Fandral by her upper arms and led her off. "Lady Sif," her king said.

"Yes, All-Father?"

"Go with them. There will be things about a woman's body that Fandral should know; it would be kinder and more just for the instruction to come from a woman he has not, to my knowledge, wronged."

"Aye, my liege. You are correct, I am not one of Fandral's conquests and until yesterday, I would have called us friends." She saluted and hurried after the guards, hiding the grin that threatened to emerge as she considered how the explanation of menses and other female issues would horrify the former man.

… …

"Why did they send me with you?"

Isis gave her new daughter a fond smile. "Because you are my unwed, virginal daughter. Where else would you be other than with your mother?"

"With my betrothed." The girl glowered at her. "I've got to be the most experienced virgin on this or any other planet," she griped. "It's ludicrous. They know what kind of lover Loki enjoys so they know damn well I'm no innocent. This is just…it's Odin getting back at me for being forced to give up the Lotus Staff, isn't it?"

It could be a part of the reason, but Isis was not going to drive a further rift between Ka-Maat and her soon to be family by admitting it. "You are a princess, betrothed to a prince. This is royal protocol and you shall bear with it until the ceremony that unites you."

"Poop, that's what it is."

Her lips twitched. Kat had been substituting less vulgar words in her conversations for those she had been wont to use in her past. Apparently Loki's admonitions about her use of expletives were bearing fruit. Having come in on the tail end of one conversation that had ended with a firmly spoken warning of 'Language' by the godling and seeing the girl's rebellious expression had amused her mightily. "Calm yourself. You, born a mere mortal, have won a great victory over the All-Father himself. Despite your beloved's Jötunn heritage, he was still in high demand for a political marriage. Perhaps not one so prestigious as he would were he fully Æsir or even Vanir, but an important match all the same. Odin has not only lost that advantage within the Realms he influences, but he has been forced to give up one of his greatest treasures, all because a slip of a human girl won his son's heart."

"Sure, some victory. I had to die to win it." The girl's expression was far more troubled than her words called for.

"What truly is worrying you, my child?" The large emerald eyes that met hers were wet with a sheen of tears. Why?

"Loki thinks that I won't be submissive now that I'm a goddess. I tried to explain why that wasn't the case, but I don't think he believed me."

Ah. That explained Kat's sudden silence after their disagreement earlier. "Submissive is not weak, particularly sexual submissiveness."

"I know that; he knows it too, but…he's scared, Isis. He'd found what he'd always been looking for and now he's afraid that I've changed and that he'll be without it again. Loki keeps losing everything he thinks he has, it's shaken his confidence." Kat sighed deeply. "I think the only place he was still totally self-assured was in the bedroom, and now he worries that his last refuge of control is gone."

"It will only be two days, dear one. Then you can show him how well he still rules you."

… …

He was staring blindly over his balcony when she found him; every line of his body was tense. "Were you expecting another?" Frigga asked her youngest.

A subtle ease in his posture was her answer. "I was expecting no one."

"Loki, how many years has it been since you could successfully lie to me?"

His chuckle was rueful. "You I have managed to lie to only once, and that was about a gift I had gotten for you."

He hadn't been successful then, either, but she'd never let him know it. His absolute delight in surprising her was one of her fondest memories. "What is wrong, Loki? You will be wedded to your lady properly in only two days time. All of Asgard will celebrate with and for you."

"Not all. Odin counts this as a loss."

"He does not; I know your father."

"Do you? I did not realize you and Laufey were acquainted."

"Loki! Do not play with words, not with me. If you do not acknowledge Odin as your father, then you reject me as your mother. Is that truly your intent?"

He turned, his expression stricken. "No, never." She held her arms open for him and he allowed her to gather him close and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "You have always given me the love of a mother for her son. Now that I know the truth, I appreciate your love all the more."

"Good, then tell your mother what troubles you."

She allowed him to pull away and move indoors to sprawl gracelessly in his reading chair. "She's changed, mother. Kat is no longer my su…sweet mortal. She is a goddess of great power. Things will never be the same between us." He was biting the inside of his cheek as he often did when he hoped that she had missed something.

Sighing deeply she settled down on the ottoman that sat across from him. "Son, you know that I have eyes and ears throughout the Valhöll. Think you that I am not aware of your…preferences when it comes to sexual partners?" A light flush rode his high cheekbones as he stared at the floor. "You've had little control elsewhere in your life. I find it natural that you would desire control in your relationships."

"What do you know of it? Few think anything I desire in my… _relationships_ is natural. Have you any real idea of what I get up to with my lovers?" His smile was more a sneer. "If you did you'd condemn me along with my so-called father."

She smiled and stood, then strolled into the open door of his bedchamber. Reaching up she touched one of the rings that were welded with sheer magical power onto the heavy metal posts of his bed frame. "Do you use chains, or prefer rope, is all that I would question." Running her finger along the inside of the ring she nodded. "Rope; chain would have left nicks in the metal. Silk, then? I would think hemp is too common for your taste, you've always appreciated the more elegant things in life."

His jaw was gaping as she turned to face him. "Your spies have told you this?"

"Not spies. A few of your former lovers have cried to me and begged to know how they could regain your favor once they'd disappointed you in some way. Loki, really; do you think you are the only one in Asgard who has these preferences?"

"I am the only one you call son who does."

Her laughter rang out at his disgruntled tone. "Perhaps. But your brother has no imagination. I would feel far more comfortable with him becoming king if he did. Loki, Thor is many things you are not, and not all of them are good. The same holds true in reverse. You both have your strengths and your weaknesses. I do not see this as a weakness for you unless you allow it to become one. What makes you think your Kat has changed in this?"

"Ah, did the phrase 'goddess of great power' escape your notice?"

"Do not be facetious with me. Son, I have long wished for your happiness. While all the realms seek to marry their daughters off to Thor because he is the eldest and likely heir…"

"The only heir. We both know Asgard would never accept me now that the truth is known."

"Likely, at the time. Might I continue uninterrupted?" He waved a hand with studied casualness in response. "They neglected to consider that a wife of the younger son would also have much influence; more so than in some Realms since that son, being far more intelligent and capable of running a government, would likely become the power behind the son who was but a figurehead on the throne."

"Yes, yes, they were fools. Not so foolish now, are they? They've all avoided my disgrace."

"You are not disgraced; Odin very purposefully sentenced you unfairly in the hopes that Kat would protest and draw Isis here. The guards were instructed to be somewhat rough with her, though not to do her any untreatable injury."

Loki was on his feet in an instant, hands fisted, murder in his eyes. "He _dared_?"

"Calm yourself. It was necessary."

"His machinations have cost me the one thing I truly desired in all the universe!"

"They have not! Now, will you listen or must I prove to you that my power has not diminished with age and bind you silent and immobile with it?"

His jaw worked and the fury slowly drained from his eyes. "I…apologize." Loki sat and folded his hands, lacing the two together so tightly his knuckles whitened.

"I sought discretely for a suitable bride for my beloved younger son. Though I told no one my purpose in my seeking and investigating. You would not have appreciated women descending upon you looking for no more than an advantageous marriage." He nodded, but did not speak, no doubt mindful of her threat. "I found no less than five women who would suit: two in Asgard, two in Vanaheim and one in Ljósálfheim. These women, despite their personal strength and positions, were, according to every report, submissive in the bedroom. Three of them were actively known in some circles for preferring the fiction of being forced into satisfying their lust through bondage. Two of these three were goddesses and one of those even royalty."

Only a sliver of green was visible as her son's eyes narrowed in consideration. "I imagine you will not reveal their names."

"Of course not. Nor would I tell them of your desires; it is not my business and it is also not your concern. Your betrothed still looks upon you with the same gaze she had when I first saw the two of you together. She is yours, body and soul, my son; and she always will be."

"I hope you are right or we shall both be miserable."

… …

"You are fucking kidding me," Tony said, trying to pick his jaw up off of the floor, staring at the massive bowed shoulders of the god of Thunder.

"I do not jest, my friend. Kat was killed and was then reborn as a goddess of Karma."

"The Kemet; aren't they the Egyptian gods?" Bruce asked.

"Aye; they withdrew from Midgard when we did, several millennia past, about the time the Olympians had managed to all but destroy themselves through infighting."

Shit; the gods of Olympus were real too? He needed a drink, he decided and headed over to his bar. The hell with a few fingers of Jameson's, he filled the entire tumbler. "Anyone else need a drink?"

Goldilocks sighed. "It is not a time for drinking; I did not come only to tell you this tale, but to ask a boon of you."

That didn't sound good. "You're all going deeper and deeper into my debt, you realize."

"I know it. One of our warriors, one I called friend, assaulted Lady Kat, sexually."

He turned back from the bar with a smirk. "So, did Loki castrate him?"

"Not precisely. This happened after his lady's transformation. Odin decreed that as the one wronged, she should issue his punishment. She used her godly powers upon him and turned him into a woman. Fandral shall remain a woman, condemned to repeatedly fall in love with men such as he has been to be used and discarded until such time as he learns how truly vile his actions were and sincerely repents them."

"Whoa. Huh. What do you need from me?"

"It has been decided that she, Fandral, that is, must spend this time here on Midgard as all in Asgard know of this and will not participate in the rehabilitation."

"You want Tony to use and discard him, uh, her?"

Thor chuckled. "No, friend Bruce. I wish him to provide Fandral with a private place to live and enough of an income to survive upon until such time as the punishment is over. And I wish you all to keep an eye on, ah, her, to ensure she causes no true harm here and suffers no permanent injury."

Tony choked on his whiskey. "Geez, beefcake, you don't ask for much."

"I had thought it a great favor, I am glad…"

"It is; huge, in fact. Remember the talk we had about sarcasm? Okay, wait, lemme think." He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair. "I've got a penthouse apartment a few blocks from here that I used before this tower was finished. Jarvis is set up there, so that solves the keeping an eye on him or her issue and I own it, so no rent. I can set up an account for groceries. What we need to do, though, is have a way to get, uh, her, out into the world where she'll actually meet men that will do her wrong. Damn, I can't believe I just said that."

"Does, ah, she have any skills? Outside of being a warrior, I mean," Bruce asked. "For a job here in New York where she could meet and interact with people?"

The god's expression was pensive, not a look he was used to associating with Thor. "Other than fighting or flirting, I suppose Fandral is good at storytelling."

That could work, Tony thought. "Can he, yeah, she read our style of writing?"

"Yes, in any of your languages. I did check that; Ka-Maat's transformation did not affect the All-Speak." Tony noticed that Bruce was giving Thor the same blank look that he was. "It is a kind of magic, you would call it, that enables us to be fluent and literate in many languages of the Nine Realms, including all on Midgard. Though it does not work for common idioms, as you've noticed."

"No joke." His colloquialisms had flown over both Thor and Loki's heads. Well, Thor more so than Loki, but then the trickster had the advantage of being inside a number of human minds during the invasion. Come to think of it, that was probably why Loki hadn't had any problems with his systems in Malibu. "Okay, I'm on the board of the New York Public Library System. Maybe I can pull a few strings and get her a job reading stories to kids. They have a storyteller's program that's been cut back due to budget reductions; I can replace the budget in return for them hiring Fandral as one of the storytellers. And wait a second; who is Ka-Maat?"

"Fandral might frighten the children," Thor muttered. "Ah, Ka-Maat is the Kemetic name that Isis bestowed upon Kat to mark her rebirth."

"Okay, and why would Fandral frighten the kids?"

"When Fandral attacked Kat, she clawed his face. In his, ah, her transformed state Fandral bears five deep scars running from her left temple to her right jaw line. They will not heal properly until she is returned to her original form, I'm told."

"Fingernails left deep enough wounds to scar?"

"Claws. Kat's body changed a bit during her rebirth. While she looks similar to her human self, she was gifted with claws from Bastet and Sekhmet." Thor smiled. "Loki had been calling her his kitten, he said. Now she is such in truth."

Tony didn't think he wanted to imagine sex with a woman like Kat who had actual claws. She'd claimed he'd be hurt if he tried to take her on before; now he was certain of it. "Okay, that's…wow. So, we'll get things set up on this end; can you give me a few days? I'll explain the scars, come up with some line of B.S., make it like I'm getting this job set up as a charity sort of thing. Kids are accepting, or so they tell me. We can come up with a sympathetic story for the scars and the kids will love it."

"Thank you, my friend. We are truly in your debt."

"Yeah, remember that when I call in for a favor."

… …

Two days; well, one more day. Kat stared around the feasting hall as servants came and went carrying platter after platter of food. Isis sat on Odin's other side, between him and Queen Frigga. Thor's seat on this side of Odin sat empty, which meant she didn't even have his kind attempts to distract her. A sidelong glance at Loki told her that he was still sitting stiffly, his gaze fixed on his untouched plate. The sigh welled up from within her and he cringed when it emerged. "So sorry for discomfiting you," he muttered snidely under his breath. She had the feeling that if her hearing were still human she would have missed it.

"Why are you punishing me?" she asked, also trying to keep her voice low.

"What?"

"I didn't ask to be changed and I'm not different in any way that should count for us, Isis said so."

"She knows nothing about it."

"Yeah, she does. She knows me, Loki, and she knows what and how much you mean to me and how much I still need you exactly the way I did in Vegas. You still rule me, Loki and you always will."

At least now he was looking at her, though his expression was troubled. "I pray you are both correct."

"One more day of this crap and then you'll be able to see for yourself."

A corner of his mouth lifted. "Crap, indeed." Under the cover of the tablecloth she felt his long fingers slide across her thigh. Her breath caught in her throat as he tugged the material of her skirt so that it lifted, bit by bit, baring her leg. "Yes, I do dare," he told her with a challenging look as her eyes widened. "Continue with your meal as though naught is happening." The firm tone was an unmistakable order…and a test. Were they still on Earth Kat would have welcomed the playfulness of it, even if it managed to get them kicked out of whatever venue they might have been in. Well, except maybe Hugo's Cellar. She really loved that place and would have asked him to wait and do it somewhere else.

"Yes, Loki." Smiling, she obediently took a forkful of a vegetable she didn't recognize but had discovered was very tasty, and began to chew. His strong hand was now playing with the skin he'd uncovered and his fingers were about to discover what else was bare. She'd found the Asgardian version of underpants uncomfortable and the Kemetic version was even worse so had chosen to go without. His indrawn breath hissed as she struggled not to react to the brush of his fingertips against her mound.

"Naughty minx." Now he was smiling outright. "Whatever am I to do with you?"

"Whatever you want."

… …

By the Nine, the woman's quim was naked. His cock hardened under the leather of his formal court armor. It was an excellent opportunity to test the wench's veracity. Ah, no, her accuracy, he amended in his thoughts. Kat believed in what she said, it was more a matter of whether she was correct, not whether she told the truth. After playing with the soft pubic hair that seemed trimmed far more tightly than before he ran a fingertip along and then between her outer lips. Kat's slight smile widened as she obediently continued her meal and her thighs parted helpfully. "Good girl," he whispered.

"Only for you," she gasped as he flicked her clit sharply. A slight shudder ran through her still voluptuous body as he rubbed the small nub with a soft gentle touch, one intended to bring her to full arousal rather than to orgasm. Her now more cat-like eyes drifted halfway closed as she leaned into the pressure with the tiniest of moans. "Sweet goddess, Loki; you're going to make me come here at the table if you do much more."

He chuckled. "Not just yet, my kitten. Though I shall make you purr. Do you like this, love? Being totally at my mercy in full view of all of Asgard's nobles? Would you give them an outright show if I asked it of you?"

The look she shot him was a bit nervous; she wasn't so certain he would not make such a demand to prove her love for him, he imagined. "Not in front of your parents, please," she begged.

"Ah, but you'd do this for me in front of anyone else?"

"If you really wanted it, yes."

His jaw dropped, he couldn't help it. Her words had been completely sincere. "No," he decided. "Though I may yet decide to share you with someone I felt was worthy of the privilege, this rabble does not deserve to see your full passion." He slipped the tips of two fingers into her now dripping canal, keeping the light thrusting shallow. He would not waste her restored maidenhead on a finger fucking, and he would not ask her to keep the reaction of either a full-blown orgasm or the pain of the breaching of her hymen undetected by the revelers. Though he wouldn't put it past her to experience both at once when they did take their play to that level; his Kat was an amazing woman.

… …

"Sick bastard," Sif muttered, her narrowed eyes focused on the head table. Volstagg ignored her and continued to enjoy the haunch of venison he'd helped himself to. Sif's opinion of Loki was regrettable, but nothing new. "Disgraceful."

He raised an eyebrow and looked to his other companion. "Not prudent," Hogun allowed, wearing a deeper than usual disapproving frown. Now that got his attention.

Glancing up at the high table, he nearly choked on the succulent mouthful of well seasoned meat. Their new princess was flushed and breathing erratically, her exotic eyes all but closed as she gripped her golden goblet tightly. She had leaned forward and was moving subtly, looking for all the world as if she were…oh my. Loki's smirk was damning; his attention shifted from the woman pressed up closely beside him to scan the crowded feast hall as if daring them to notice that something untoward occurred. And it most certainly did. The young goddess stiffened slightly and then relaxed back into her seat with slightly parted lips, her eyes drifting the rest of the way closed. Loki's hand emerged from between them and he quite purposefully licked one finger and then turned to his betrothed, holding the other up for her inspection. Ka-Maat's eyes flew open and she returned her prince's smirk before she took that finger into her small mouth and sucked on it. "Ah, young love," he murmured. "It's rarely wise and never circumspect," he advised his companions.

"It's sordid," Sif argued. "No one of any breeding does such in public."

"Have a care, my friend," Volstagg warned. "I was young once and totally besotted with Guðrún before we were betrothed. Fortunately for me, only Queen Frigga noticed our, ah, indiscretion. She merely smiled, shook her head, and looked away." He smiled at the memory. "Though she did make a point of visiting our parents later."

"She told them what you'd done?" Sif asked as Hogun gave him an aghast look.

"Nay, our queen is the soul of discretion. She simply noted to them that she felt we'd make a good match of it. They were all so thrilled with their children gaining the notice of the Queen, that they immediately arranged our betrothal. Hmm."

"What?" Hogun asked.

"I just realized I've never thanked her for that."

… …

"Loki? Perhaps you should escort your betrothed to her chambers. Queen Isis is meeting with the All-Father and his Council regarding the alliance."

"Of course, mother." He held out a hand for Kat and waited for her to rise and frowned as she did so hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

"My dress is wet," she whispered. He huffed a quiet laugh and looked behind her. "It's not funny, Loki."

"It most certainly is." He ran a hand lightly down her back and used his power to remove the evidence from both her dress and the chair cushion. "There, all dry." Kat turned halfway around and looked down at her seat. "Don't trust me?"

"I trust you with me, that's the trust that counts."

"True enough." He led her from the hall, stopping to acknowledge well-wishes from members of Odin's court. Sycophants were his least favorite part of being royalty, though he could play one against the other with ease. By the time they'd made the relative safety of the corridor, his darling kitten was looking a bit drained. "You'll get used to it, love."

"Damn, I hope not."

"Language."

"What? You say that all the time."

"I am a prince and a warrior mage and may speak as I wish. Yet you'll notice even I keep my use of coarse language to a minimum outside of playtime. It simply isn't becoming for a royal to use such."

"But I'm not…"

"Are you not, _Princess_ Ka-Maat?"

"Oh. Uh…drat?"

"Much better, love." The chambers allotted to Isis and Kat were in the visiting dignitaries wing of the Valhöll, about midway between his parent's wing and the corridor that housed him and Thor. That made it a much shorter walk than to his own chambers. Two guards stood by the doors. "Your assignment?" he asked haughtily.

"To prevent anyone from harassing our visitors or damaging their belongings, your Highness," the senior of them responded in a polite tone. "They, of course, my come or go as they please."

"Very good; carry on." The other guard pushed open the door for them and closed it once they'd crossed the threshold. He led Kat across the room to a seating area before speaking. "Annoying, but likely necessary. Damnation."

… …

"Language," Kat smirked.

He gave her an exasperated look. "Their presence means that I cannot stay to enjoy you, love. They will make note of when we arrived and when I leave."

"Oh for…pity's sake." Her hesitation and obvious change of working coaxed a smile from him. "Can you kiss me goodnight?" she asked plaintively.

"I can do a bit more than that. But let's get you out of those clothes first." He waved a hand and she felt a cool breeze from the open window brush over her suddenly bare skin. Looking around, she saw the dress neatly folded over a chair in her bedroom. "Absolutely naked under it, what an audacious chit you are."

"I'll never change, Loki."

His face softened. "I'm glad of it. Now, lay back, my sweet slut." She quickly obeyed, positioning herself on the edge of the bed as his gesture indicated. "Spread your…ah, didn't need to tell you that, hmm?" He pressed her thighs back and further apart as he knelt on the floor between them. Kat nearly came on the spot as his tongue firmly licked from her canal to her clit and then swirled around the bud.

"Ooooh, Loki, I needed that!"

"You need much more than that, kitten, but it will do for a start." She giggled as he set to, nibbling and licking her wet slit, continuing the job his fingers had begun earlier. Her hips lifted as he took her to a swift orgasm and her fingers clenched in the silk brocade that covered the bed. A tearing sound made her eyes fly open and Loki laughed into her cunt. "Hmm, that will be difficult for you to explain," he said before returning to his task.

Glancing down she saw that her fingertips had gone _through_ the thick material. Damn claws. "Crap," she muttered before shrieking as Loki bit down on her clit. "Oh sweet goddess…Loki!" His chuckle reverberated against her throbbing flesh, making her squirm. His left hand ghosted up her body until his it closed on one pendulous breast. He squeezed tightly as he flicked her swollen clit with his tongue and then loosed all of her breast but the nipple. Before she could so much as take a much needed breath he bit her clit again while simultaneously pinching and twisting the already stiff peak trapped in his fingers. A squeal of pleasure escaped as she felt herself explode in a full squirting orgasm.

Much to her dismay, Loki didn't continue the all-out assault on her senses, though he did drink down her ejaculate and lick her reasonably clean. She swallowed a sigh, he had told her he couldn't stay very long; she was lucky to have gotten one orgasm from him. "Mmm," he said as he stood. "Very nice, my virginal bride to be. Now, let's turn you around." His hand covered her mouth as she opened him to ask what he was doing so she subsided as he spun her body around on the bed so that her head dropped slightly over the side. His hand released her mouth and he tapped her cheek. Loki was still dressed, but now his leather pants…trews as he called them, were spread open and his lovely thick cock was exposed. "Open," he told her.

"And here I thought you were being overly generous," she told him before obeying.

"Always. Am I not giving you the opportunity to please your betrothed?" His tone was just the right combination of innocence and snark, sweet goddess, she loved him so. Stretching her mouth open as far as she could, Kat wiggled a bit as he pushed his erection past her teeth, filling the still small cavity, and lodging in her throat. The huge foreign object triggered her gag reflex and his eyes narrowed. "Are you all right?" She gave him a thumbs up sign and he nodded. "Good girl. Pinch me if it gets to be too much." Letting her eyes drift closed to show her gratitude, she purposely swallowed, squeezing the tip of his cock. "Gods, kitten, that…" He shuddered and the pulled out slightly before beginning to thrust. She reached out to him and he frowned for a moment before realizing her intent. A pleased smirk curved his lips as he took both of her slender wrists in one hand and held them firmly. He gestured with the other and she felt her legs pull apart and press into the brocade beneath her as though invisible hands held them in place.

Kat moaned as the sensation of being helpless increased her arousal and more moisture dripped from her canal and between her ass cheeks. "Nnnngh," she managed around his thickness.

"I know you love it, my naughty slut. Just imagine what we'll get up to on our wedding night," he teased. Her eyes rolled back in her head as he chose that moment to begin pumping hard into her throat. Unlike her previous experiences with him fucking her mouth, he seemed to be rushing into orgasm…oh, right, their time was limited, damn it. Kat sucked hard and swallowed as frequently as she was able to help him along and was soon rewarded by a shout of pleasure and the heat of his cum filling her throat. "Beautiful, my darling," he praised. She gave him her signature nip on the crown as he pulled back. "And you still never stop, hmm?"

"No," she gasped. "I'll never stop loving you, Loki, and I'll never stop being your submissive toy."

His lips claimed her mouth for a deep kiss as he released the magic holding her legs and turned her upright. "Thank Isis for that," he told her. Her eyebrows rose and he shrugged. "I'm certain it would not be the case if the blasted Norns had aught to say about it." She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you…Ka-Maat. You are even more perfect for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…who has done naughty things in public? [raises hand] And who thinks Fandral will learn his/her lesson in Tony's lifetime? Anyone? Yeah, I'm not so sure either…but we'll see. Next time around, the wedding in Asgard!


	21. Vows and Visitors

**Vows and Visitors**

It was fortunate that Odin himself decided to escort them to the visitor’s chambers. Every guard they passed had automatically reached for their weapons and took a battle stance as she approached with her sister goddesses. Sekhmet was not helping matters by remaining half-shifted. A partially shifted Bastet did not automatically seem threatening; a beautiful woman with cat’s ears and a tail was a lovely curiosity; a woman with the head and tail of a lioness, that was another thing altogether. The guards held their reflexes in check when Odin nodded calmly to them; their training was laudable, but the terror did not leave their eyes. Their doors finally closed behind them and Bastet began to snicker. “The pride of Asgard, cowering in our presence. They’ve grown no testicles since we last met.”

“They are mere guardsmen, sister,” Isis admonished. “You have not yet met the pride of Asgard.”

Sekhmet rolled her eyes and gave the huffing cough that passed for laughter in the form she wore. “Some of the council members were braver,” she said in the rumbling tone that was the only one possible with a lion’s throat and tongue.

“Some of them were veterans of the Great Wars,” Isis agreed. “There are a few brave young ones amongst Asgard’s elite. You shall be impressed by your niece’s betrothed and possibly by Odin’s blood son as well.” She strode into Kat’s bedroom and frowned at the girl’s absence. As she turned to check the bathing chamber the scent of sex caught her attention. Her eyes narrowed. Sex, but no blood. They’d been discrete then. Pushing open the door she smiled at the sight of the fledgling goddess sitting on the floor, staring at a half-shredded towel. “Problems?” she asked.

“I can’t keep my claws in,” the girl groused. “I even ripped the damn bedspread.”

“Did you? However did you manage that?” Isis asked and bit back a smile when her new daughter flushed.

“Um, well…uh…”

“They will be checking to see that you are still a maiden as part of the bedding ceremony.”

“You’re kidding, right? Please, tell me you’re making that up!”

Isis stared at her a moment before relenting. “I am, to a point. They will expect to see your blood on the sheets after you’ve been breached.”

“Oh for pity’s sake, that’s…medieval!”

“Have you looked around you, my child?”

Kat sighed heavily. “Well, they’ll see their damn blood; but mostly because we didn’t have enough time for that.”

“So I thought. Finish dressing and come meet your new Aunts.”

“My…oh boy.”

… …

Kat knew intellectually that if Isis was a flesh and blood goddess instead of the divine energy she’d always assumed that the other Kemet were as well. That didn’t prepare her for meeting Sekhmet and Bastet. The latter had an energy about her that Kat found familiar. Bastet nodded when Kat scrunched her nose up trying to place it. “It is the same aura of protection with which I gifted you, my niece.”

“Oh, that’s why it feels so…”

“Indeed.”

She nodded and openly looked over the intimidating figure of the goddess of Warfare. Sekhmet stood a good half foot taller than Isis while Bastet split the difference between them. Loki was probably about Sekhmet’s height, but the goddess had a bit more obvious muscle, at least in this form. Golden eyes stared back at her from the leonine face and thick sharp fangs were bared in a frankly frightening grin. The only reason she could tell it was a grin was the huffing laugh the goddess gave her. “You do not fear me, child?”

“I haven’t done anything that should anger you, so no. But I definitely respect you.”

The grin spread wider revealing the other very sharp teeth. “Good answer. Is your godling your intellectual match?”

“Loki? Hah, if anything he’s far superior in that department. I was considered intellectually gifted on my world, but no genius. Loki is a genius, no question. Well, about most things.”

“Males rarely show intelligence when it comes to emotions,” Bastet said in a jaded tone. “It is their greatest failing.”

“I hear you.” Kat glanced between her new relatives and then gasped. “Oh! I forgot to thank you. I know you were both a big part of bringing me back as a goddess, I mean, besides the gifts you gave me. Loki told me that he saw your energetic forms during my rebirth. He’s grateful too.”

“A genius indeed,” Bastet snickered. Kat frowned at the sly tone and the goddess’s expression softened. “Do not fret, child. It is men in general I have a low opinion of at the nonce, not specifically your betrothed.”

“I understand. I don’t have a low opinion of men in general, but I do find them easier to manipulate.”

“Which is why you need one with true power,” Isis interjected. “This young man has that power; he also cares for our fledgling greatly. Though he hides it with cutting witticisms and snide expressions, his emotions run deep.”

“He may be worthwhile at that,” Bastet agreed. Kat sighed, the way the three talked back and forth, all but completing each others’ thoughts, was wearing her out. “Where is your betrothed, Ka-Maat?”

“I-he said he was returning to his chambers. He would have rather stayed with me, but he thought it would look bad.”

“He was correct,” Sekhmet agreed. “Tell me, how are you enjoying the taste of vengeance you had yesterday?”

“I’m not. It was horrid.”

“Perhaps you should have simply ended the ass when he molested you. It was within your rights.”

Kat frowned. “I barely managed to get the attention of the people in the hall; he was too strong for me to fight.”

“Nonsense. Your claws could have easily taken his face off, not simply left scars. You held back,” Sekhmet accused. “Have you no stomach for battle?”

“No. I’m sorry if that disappoints you, but I don’t.”

“That is why you died the first time around,” the goddess snarled. “You would not order the guard to kill the intruders.”

She was killed in her first life as Isis’s high priestess? From what the goddess had told her earlier, she’d thought her death was due to old age. “I don’t remember much of that life.”

“You were not a warrior, my child,” Isis told her as she stepped between her and Sekhmet. “But perhaps you need to become one. Death is coming to Midgard and the power of Karma alone will not put an end to it.” Her goddess’s smile was enigmatic. “You must survive long enough to deliver that karma.”

Kat shivered. “I really hate only being told half the story.”

… …

Loki strode into his chambers and stopped short when he noticed Thor sitting on his balcony, feet up on the rail. “I don’t recall giving you permission to enter my chambers without an invitation.”

The blonde oaf glanced back at him with a half-smile. “You did, but to be fair that was five centuries past.” Thor’s voice was uncharacteristically subdued. “I needed to be alone and that is not possible in my own rooms.”

“No, they’re always overrun by your multitude of friends. I, on the other hand, have none.”

The large feet hit the floor as his adoptive brother stood. “You do now. The Man of Iron sends his regards. He also is pleased on your behalf that you shall be married to your love, though distressed, of course, at all that occurred leading to that happy event.” Loki took a deep breath as Thor crossed the room to his side. “The next time you are on Midgard, he’d like for you to stop by and visit. He said something about a wedding present.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Was he being sarcastic? Never mind, you would not know the difference.”

“I am not so much a fool as that, brother. Tony was serious. He felt a kinship, of sorts, with you. However, he did say that he will continue to _razz_ you, as he called it, about throwing him through his window.” Shaking his head, Thor grinned. “It was meant as teasing, I’m certain.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that word and that is what it means. Interesting. Was he willing to help with…” he let the sentence trail off with a grimace, unable to bring himself to say the name of the misbegotten whoreson who had tried to hurt his Kat.

“He will; though we shall, as he puts it, owe him a rather large solid.”

“I already owe him, and you. My debts are such that they shall likely never be paid.” That weighed on him. Always, in the past, others had owed him; he enjoyed the power of it. This being in the debt of others was humiliating.

“It is father’s debt. None of this would have happened if he had been forthright with you when you came of age.”

“True.” An atypical heavy sigh was drawn from him as he sat down hard in his reading chair. “And if it had not happened, I would not, in all likelihood, have Kat.” Thor squatted down beside him and laid an arm across his shoulders in a tentative hug. “She is what I’ve always needed.”

“I know, Loki. No matter what it takes, I will see that you get to keep her in your life. I swear it on Mjölnir.”

“You put me even further in your debt,” he grumbled.

Thor chuckled and stood. “Nay, brother. Consider it a repayment of what I owe you for some of the times you saved my backside and I stole the glory.”

“ _Some_ is right. Your debt there is all but endless.”

… …

Frigga glared at her husband as he cautiously entered their bedroom. “Am I welcome?” he asked.

“Shall you be giving any more trouble to Loki and his betrothed?”

“Not intentionally. Events have fallen as we need them to should the Mad Titan make his way to the Nine Realms. We have naught more to do but wait and further build an alliance with Midgard.”

“Further build?”

“From what Thor has told me he is held in some regard for his actions there; he’s even forged friendships with three of that Realm’s heroes. They shall, at least, be willing to listen when Loki speaks to them of the menace we all face.”

“What? Loki? You would have him return to Midgard? They’ll likely execute him as soon as look at him.”

“They will not. I shall send him with his brother and his bride to act as my representative. Thor has little understanding of the fine art of negotiation.”

She huffed. “Of course not; he’s learned all that he knows about _that_ subject from you.”

Odin winced. “I see that I am still in poor graces with you, my wife.”

“How observant.”

“Frigga, I had little choice. It was vital to bring the Kemet in on this and they would not have come, else. Loki’s encounter with this particular mortal…ah, former mortal, was nothing short of kismet.”

“It could all have gone seriously wrong and my son would have lost all the reason he had left.”

“I know it; had there been another way I would have taken it. There was not and the fate of the Nine Realms outweighs any concern over the life or sanity of one man even if that man is your beloved son.”

Her eyes narrowed. “That is just it, is it not? You have never had love for Loki, and he has ever tried with all his might and cleverness to win love, or even simple approval from you to no avail. You call yourself the All-Father when you cannot even be a _good_ father. And do not tell me that you have been a good father to Thor; had you been firm but loving with him he would not have needed banishment to learn humility and love for other than himself.”

“You are right.” Frigga felt her jaw drop at Odin’s simple admission. “One must have either had good parents or spectacularly bad parents to learn how to be a good parent oneself. I had neither, so I learned little. Our sons are fortunate that they had you, my lady, and I am forever in your debt.”

“Come to bed,” she finally told him after letting him stew for a bit more. “It grows late and we have much to do on the morrow.”

… …

Sekhmet frowned at the trays of victuals with which they were expected to break their fast. The Asgardians, it seemed, preferred meat-heavy dishes. “Perhaps I should shift back,” she muttered.

“No,” Isis told her. “While that form was appropriate for a War Council it is not fitting for your niece’s wedding. You shan’t need to tolerate the fare here for long. Deal with it.”

“Humph.” She picked up a rounded piece of fruit that smelled much like a fig but looked like an orange. Biting into it, juices like one would find in a peach ran down her chin. A quick grab of a dining cloth kept them from soiling her heavily gold and jewel ornamented kalasiris. While the linen sheath was easily cleanable, the jewels would need to be painstakingly polished were they coated with the sticky fluid. “Messy,” she decided and dropped it back on the tray.

Ka-Maat was smirking at her. Fortunately the girl made no comment that she would need to address. Bastet spread some sort of preserved dairy product over a baked item as she watched with a smug expression. “You are just annoyed that you’ve been asked not to use your preferred form and are taking it out on the food. Be kind today, Ka-Maat weds her beloved; it is a time for joy, not sniping.”

“She weds a mongrel.”

“Hey!” Sekhmet stared as young Ka-Maat stood to glare at her. “Lay off of Loki’s parentage; it’s not like he got to choose it. If you look down on him because of his DNA, you’re every bit as bad as the Æsir…and you think they’re all uncivilized brutes? Take a good look in the mirror before you make that comment again.”

Pursing her lips thoughtfully she turned back to Isis. “She has spirit, this one. You chose well.”

“I always do.”

… …

“You are angry with Sekhmet,” Isis stated rather than asked as she painstakingly braided Kat’s hair into a style reminiscent of the wigs worn by ancient Egyptians. The Kemet, Kat had learned, braided their own hair in that manner; they did not use wigs. The hair of those born directly to the Kemet was silky, straight, and thick, much like that of many of her Native American friends.

“Yes, I’m angry with her. Loki gets enough crap from the Æsir; he doesn’t need it from her, too. At least Bastet is trying to be sensitive and not insult him personally or directly.”

“She has always been far more diplomatic and therefore more devious. Sekhmet may be offensive, but she is direct. You will always know where you stand with her.”

Kat’s eyes narrowed as she looked up at Isis in the mirror. “Should I not trust Bastet, then?”

“You can; others should not. Not unless she gives her word.”

“Uh huh. And if she does, remember that she’ll keep her literal word?”

“Exactly.”

She couldn’t hold in the giggle and the disapproving stare it drew from Isis only made her laugh harder. “You-that’s pretty much exactly what Loki told me about himself. He also said to be more concerned with what he didn’t say,” she finally managed.

Isis nodded, a small smile curving her lips. “Loki does have cat-like qualities. I am not surprised.” She arranged the bead-laden braids across Kat’s shoulders, frowning as Kat rubbed her bare neck. “You need more jewelry than just these earrings.”

“Loki took my necklace with him. That’s the only other jewelry I want.”

“Why is that?”

“He…he remade it into more of a collar, um…”

“Ah, to claim you?”

“Yes. When I asked if I could have it back he told me it was too plain and he wanted to remake it to compliment my beauty.” She rolled her eyes. “I liked it fine as it was. He’d already put both our symbols on it.”

“You are now both a princess and a goddess, Ka-Maat. He is right to want you to have a more ornate adornment.”

“I suppose. I know it was just a necklace before he remade it and I only had it for a day and a half, but I feel kind of naked without it.”

Isis rubbed her bare shoulders soothingly and then adjusted the golden cape over them. “It was a symbol of your love. Do not fret, child. You shall be complete again in short order.”

“It can’t be soon enough,” she grumbled.

… …

Loki stared out at the gathering in the Great Hall. “Hypocrites, all of them.”

“Not all, brother,” Thor insisted and Loki winced at the term, still not wholly comfortable being addressed as such when he was truly not. However, Thor had proven to be a brother of the heart and he tried hard to accept it from him in the spirit in which it was meant. “There are a few who are happy for you.”

“A very few.”

“Do you count me as one of the few?” a quiet voice asked from behind them.

“Hel, what brings you here?” he asked his only child as Thor mumbled something about giving them privacy and departed.

“Your impending marriage, of course.”

“Yet you did not come for my sentencing.” The bitterness he felt was absent from his voice. While he could not see her often due to her duties and the near impossibility of safe travel to and from her Realm, they had always been close. Angrboða had abandoned their daughter as soon as she found that the girl could not take Jötunn form. Loki had done the best he could to raise her amidst the prejudiced Æsir; he wondered now what would have become of them had Odin’s people known of his own mixed blood. As it was, as soon as her power matured she was sent to Niflheim to rule over the Dead where all of Asgard could forget that Hel’s heritage was not their own.

“I was not permitted access. Odin feared I would seek to reassure you and that your lady would not call for her goddess with such distress if you did not seem to be in peril.”

A supreme act of will kept his jaw from dropping. “You knew?”

“Of course. Would Odin risk my displeasure? Not all of his finest earn Valhalla when they fall. Accidents do happen and he wishes me to return those who have died thusly to the ranks of the living once Ragnarök is upon us.”

“Ah. His plotting brought pain as usual.”

“Perhaps. They also gave you a goddess as wife rather than a short-lived mortal. Thought you of that point?”

“She died, Hel. My Kat suffered death.”

“All suffer death sooner or later. Another benefit of Odin speaking to me of his plans…I did not try to draw her into my realm so that you could have in death what was taken from you in life. I waited to see what the Kemet would do next.”

Loki gave his daughter a horrified look. That had not so much as occurred to him. “Does Isis know that you could have taken Kat’s soul from her keeping?”

“Doubtful. As the wife of Osiris, she would not think another to be more powerful. She forgets that here I have the advantage.”

“A negotiating point with her should I need it. She risked my lady in a way she did not comprehend. Well, I am glad you are here. Have you met Kat, ah, Ka-Maat as of yet?”

“No. I wished to have a private word with you. I have a favor to ask.”

“If it is within my power and will not bring harm to my lady or Thor, it is yours.”

“Or Thor?”

He fought back the heat that rose in his cheeks. “He has been…I owe him much for his support. Thor has been more of a brother to me of late than he has been our entire lives.”

“Humph. It is about time. What I ask brings harm to none, it is a small thing really, yet one I cannot accomplish.”

“And?”

Hel handed him a rolled parchment in an ivory holder. “I wish you to deliver this missive when you return to Midgard.”

“Obviously you know something else that I do not.”

She smiled. “You will be an invaluable representative of the All-Father. Thor will accompany you and your lady to… _encourage_ the mortals to give you the proper respect.”

“Hmm. Where shall I deliver your missive and to whom?”

“To Acherusia. Simply leave it deep in the caverns, near the river.”

“Acherusia? Surely you know all of Olympus perished in civil war.”

“Not all. Hades was not just their lord of the dead, he also was their judge and arbiter. He stood aside from the conflict and refused to support either faction. When Persephone chose to follow her mother and support Hera, Hades divorced her. He alone of the greater gods survived. Though I’ve heard reports that a few demigods are still amongst the living, they are rumors only.”

He sighed. “Fine. But we do not know where Acherusia might lie.”

“The mortals have uncovered it in what they call southwestern Turkey. I believe they call the region Pamukkale.”

“I will do what I can to deliver this there.” He frowned at the cylinder. “Does Odin know?”

“Yes. He feels it is a waste of time, but if Hades can be tempted to leave his refuge, his help will be invaluable.”

“True; he has battled Titans before and won. Very well; I shall make it a priority.” A smirk grew. “Odin believed I would do this at your behest sooner than I would do it at his.”

“Was he wrong?”

“No.”

… …

“Hmm, not a collar, but it is lovely. Shall I put it on for you?” Isis asked her new daughter. The girl stared at the glittering array of gold and bright green gems with her mouth slightly open. “Ka-Maat?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. It’s a bit much, but he’ll want to see it on me.”

“It is perfect for your station, child.”

“If you say so. I guess I’m just not used to the idea. I mean, from priestess to goddess in less than three days; it’s hard to take in.”

She smiled and removed the gold cape. “I can only imagine. “Bastet, would you hold her hair?”

“Of course.” Isis’s sister-goddess sheathed her claws and carefully lifted the mass of braids from the girl’s neck and shoulders. “At least he honors her well,” Bastet commented.

“I did tell you that his love was true,” Isis chided. “There, now let me replace the cloak.” Once the cloak was set properly, she nodded to Bastet who settled the girl’s hair down again. “Very lovely. You, dear one, are ready.”

“They won’t…this is for real, right?”

“Of course it is, child. Odin wants this union. He needs it; he needs _us_. You will be allowed to be happy with your love.”

“Until the big bad gets here.”

“Mmm. Do not focus on that my girl. We shall all do what we must to ensure that all is ready to greet the Mad Titan…properly. He shall not prevail.”

“I’m frightened.”

Sekhmet stood from the chair in which she’d been lounging with a laugh. “Then you are gaining in wisdom, little one. That one frightens all of us, even the gods of the Dead. It matters not. We shall be prepared for his coming.”

“Thanks, in no small part, to your Loki, darling girl.”

… …

Her Loki. Yes, it was finally happening, Kat thought as they entered the Great Hall. Loki was standing near the dais with his brother. The All-Father was seated on the huge throne, Hlidskjalf, she had been told it was called, holding the spear Gungnir. Oddly, she could now sense power from both the throne and the weapon. It wasn’t that it hadn’t been there before, she decided. As she settled into her reborn body she was becoming more sensitive to the energies around her. The air about Thor practically crackled with electricity, and the space around Loki seethed chaotically. Interesting. She wondered what her energy would look or feel like if she were able to look at it from outside her own body. Biting her bottom lip, she swallowed as Loki turned to look at her. His lips curved in a pleased smile that reached his eyes. He nodded reassuringly and Kat released the breath she was holding. He was happy to see her; it was going to be okay.

“All give welcome to the representatives of the Kemet,” a tall man with a sonorous voice intoned. He stood a step below the level of Odin’s throne and held a large book. Kat decided he must be the Asgardian equivalent of a medieval herald. The members of the populace who had been seated rose to their feet and even Odin stood up and reached for the hand of his Queen. Frigga stepped closer to the throne and placed her hand in her husband’s while giving them a gentle smile.

A tall woman with ebony hair stood near Loki and Thor; she wore an obsidian crown on her head. Kat had no clue who she was until she turned. Features that were a feminine version of Loki’s sharply angled face told Kat that this had to be the daughter that Isis had briefly mentioned. Hel, goddess of the Dead, who held powers much like that of Osiris. Hel nodded politely as she noticed Kat staring; a surge in her energy made Kat stare all the harder. The power that rippled around Hel superimposed a second image on top of the beautiful woman’s face…that of a half living woman and half decomposed corpse! “Oh crap,” she whispered. “What in…”

Isis gave her a disapproving shake. “Later, child. Your power of Karma allows you to see what others cannot. You will learn to ignore it except when it is needed. For now, pay attention to what is here, not the power beneath it.”

“Trying,” she muttered. Oh, great. Loki was frowning at her now. She dredged up a smile for him and mouthed ‘I love you’. His frown eased and he said something that looked like it could be ‘likewise’. Phew.

… …

Her soon to be daughter was nervous…and so was her son, though they both hid it well, Frigga thought. The former mortal looked absolutely lovely in the golden gown made in the style of the Kemet. While the ornate necklace echoed the fashion of jewelry the Kemet favored, the cut emeralds were Loki’s touch. It went well with the earrings Kat had worn to Asgard, also a gift, she had been told, from Loki. “Is she not glorious?” she whispered to her husband who gave a grunt that could be interpreted as agreement if one was generous. Frigga was not feeling all that charitable. “Admit it; she makes a fine goddess,” she hissed.

Odin glanced down at her. “She brings honor to our son,” he allowed and Frigga rewarded him with a smile. The quartet of goddesses reached the dais and Odin nodded to the Speaker of the Council.

“All of Asgard welcomes the goddesses Isis, Sekhmet, Bastet, and Ka-Maat,” the man intoned. “We are honored that the Kemet see fit to offer their youngest goddess in marriage to the youngest son of our King and Queen.”

“Kemet is honored to cement our treaty with Asgard in this manner,” Isis responded. “It is our hope that my daughter and Odin and Frigga’s son will fare well together as a symbol of continued cooperation as Darkness approaches.”

Frigga tried not to smile as both Loki and his Kat fought not to glare at the official give and take of stilted phrases. For them, this ceremony was about their love and that was as it should be. She squeezed Odin’s hand and gave him a warning look. He frowned slightly and then nodded agreement. “This marriage is about more than Honor, Alliance or Symbols,” he said in a firm voice that filled the Hall. “I am pleased that this marriage is as much about love as was my own marriage to my dear lady Frigga. We were both intended to be wed to others to bring about an alliance and were greatly pleased that in following our hearts instead of duty we not only satisfied our love but the needs of our respective peoples. Loki, my son,” he continued. “Step forth and claim your beloved from her mother.”

Loki’s flustered expression cost her the battle against smiling. By this time his brother also wore a wide grin. “I will, and gladly…father,” Loki said as he stepped forward and held out a hand to Kat. “Will you take my hand and this day become my lady in truth and by law, sweet Ka-Maat?” he asked with a slight hesitation that revealed he’d almost used her human name of Kat.

Kat’s smile was beatific as she glanced to Isis for permission and then placed her hand in Loki’s. “Gladly,” she said.

Loki smiled and looked toward Odin who nodded. He took Kat’s other hand in his and guided her so that they were facing each other. “I, Loki of Asgard, pledge to be yours and only yours, Ka-Maat of Heliopolis and Midgard, now and forever.”

The girl swallowed and took a deep breath. “And I, Ka-Maat of Heliopolis and Midgard, pledge to be yours and only yours, Loki of Asgard, now and forever.”

“Are there any objections to this joining?” Odin asked, his expression all but daring anyone to do so. Silence greeted his question. “Then I, Odin All-Father, King of Asgard, give my blessing to the union of my adopted son Loki and Ka-Maat, the daughter of Isis.”

Isis stepped forward. “And I, Isis, Queen-Mother of the Kemet, give my blessing to the union of my daughter Ka-Maat and Loki, the adopted son of Odin All-Father.”

“Might I add something?” Loki interrupted just as her husband was about to pronounce the marriage finalized. Odin nodded, but the trepidation was plain on his face. “My beloved lady was first born of Midgard and then reborn of the Kemet. There is a custom on Midgard for a couple being wed to exchange rings. My brother has retrieved a pair of such rings from Midgard and I should like for us to exchange them so that her traditions are honored this day.”

“Oh, what a lovely thought!” Frigga was surprised into to exclaiming.

Thor stepped forward and handed Loki a gold band embedded with small green stones. “These rings are a gift from Anthony Edward Stark, known on Midgard as the Iron Man, the great hero who risked his own life to destroy the fleet of the Mad Titan and further delay the Dark One’s journey to the Nine Realms. Tony sends his fond regards and good wishes to both Loki and Ka-Maat.”

“We thank him for his good wishes and his generosity,” Kat said.

Loki held the ring up and began to place it on Kat’s left hand. “With this ring, I thee wed,” he said softly, looking into her eyes all the while.

The girl smiled and then gave a startled glance to Thor as he handed her a similar, albeit a bit larger ring. “Thank you,” she whispered. Her smile grew as she raised Loki’s hand so that all could see her sliding the matching ring onto his finger. “With this ring, I thee wed,” she managed as tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes. “I love you so much,” Kat sobbed as Loki took her into his arms and kissed her upturned lips.

“As I love you, my beautiful lady,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…if your eyes aren’t leaking a bit, I’m going to cry uncle and throw in the towel. I’m sniffling here!
> 
> I’m terribly sorry for the LOOONG delay. Between work, the other story and a dog bite (accidental) sidelining me for days on end, it’s been over a month since I last posted to this story. I know you were all looking forward to SEX, and I did not deliver. Mea culpa. It will, however, be not only the first but the main order of business in chapter 22. Warning…that will be a wait. I have a crappy work schedule this week, Chapter 13 of LAS to finish and post and then another trip to Disneyland this month. Yes, I’m going there a lot; we had Premium Annual Passes this year so are going as often as we can manage. This month is the last month we can really go until fall (my hubby works seasonally and his season begins on May 5th) so I didn’t want to put it off. Besides which, the Captain America exhibit has joined the Stark Industries and Treasures of Asgard exhibits in the Innovations building in Tomorrowland. Pictures will be taken and shared on my Tumblr account. Speaking of which; check it out (user name KieraPSI) for pictures of Kat’s wedding outfit! Until next time…Kiera.


	22. Consummation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, another extremely LOOONG delay. Life happens. This chapter will be full of BDSM smut…a GREAT DEAL ROUGHER than in the earlier chapters. If you can’t take that, don’t read it, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! The worst of the potentially objectionable material is important to character development and is not gratuitous. More chapter related notes at the bottom.

Loki forced a smile as they were escorted from the feasting hall to their chambers by a loud boisterous group of nobles and sycophants. As he was, at the moment, apparently in the All-Father’s favor, everyone wanted to be part of the occasion. Much to his surprise, it was Sif who turned and barred the entrance to their private suite and forbade the gaggle entrance. “Far enough,” she told them all. “I’m advised that neither Midgard nor Heliopolis share our bedding traditions so we shall not subject Ka-Maat to them.

Much grumbling ensued, but Volstagg stepped in and used his bulk to bodily push the crowd back with Hogun herding strays forward from the side. In mere moments the corridor was clear of all save these three of Thor’s friends, and Thor who was looking insufferably pleased though somehow embarrassed. “I cannot do away with the tradition of displaying the bedclothes, brother. Mother tells me that your bride is virginal thanks to her rebirth. Ahh…”

“We’ve done nothing yet to change that. Both our mother and hers have conspired to see to it.” He decided to take pity on the well-meaning oaf. “Thank you for sparing us what you could…brother. We both appreciate it.”

Thor’s grin was as disgustingly full of sunshine as ever and the pink in his cheeks faded as rapidly as his discomfort. “We’ll leave you to your oh-so-onerous duty, then.”

Rolling his eyes, Loki pushed his now chuckling brother the rest of the way out the door. “Get out before you negate the goodwill you’ve earned.” Thor’s companions were laughing as well when he slammed the door in the Thunderer’s face.

“He did do us a big favor, Loki,” Kat said from behind him as he leant on the door.

“True and I acknowledged it.” Turning he smiled at the beautiful sight of his wife, still dressed in her Kemetic wedding finery. “My necklace suits you well, love.”

“Your collar suited me better.”

He chuckled and took the still bare part of her neck in a firm grasp. “Oh, darling girl, you’ll have to earn that.” A full laugh emerged as her lips turned down petulantly. “You managed it easily enough before. I have every confidence you’ll do so again.”

… …

“Smartass,” she muttered. His grip tightened on her neck and began to cut off her air. Loki was holding her much more firmly than he had when she was human. Of course, it would be a hell of a lot harder for him to do any real damage to her now so he could be rougher without concern. His other hand unhooked the clasps holding the cloak on her shoulders and the golden material pooled at her feet.

“I do believe I prefer you silent,” he admonished. “You may still express pain or pleasure, of course.” From her shoulder his hand drifted down to the full globes of her breasts, held firmly by the deceptively draped gown. When she’d looked at the garment, she’d thought they would swing loose, but no. They were held as firmly as if in a corset. Long fingers curled around her right breast and with a punishing grip, pulled it from the bodice. Kat moaned as liquid heat built between her legs. “Very nice.” She wasn’t certain if he referred to her breast or the needy sound she’d made. A brutal twist of her nipple made her see stars; her pained gasp caught his attention. “I will still honor your safe word,” he assured her as he released her throat and nuzzled her temple. “You may speak again until I say you may not,” he continued as he noticed her compressing her lips.

“I never thought otherwise.”

Loki smiled and it reached his eyes. “Good girl.” His expression turned serious. “I’ll have to adjust a great deal, you know. You’re physically stronger now.”

“I know. Loki?” She waited until he nodded, giving her permission to continue. “Please don’t hold back. We need to know what I can take and I’m not ashamed to use my safe word if it’s too much.”

“You’d best use it. You do not want to make me angry, my sweet.” A truly wicked grin emerged. “Finding a suitable punishment for any indiscretion will be a challenge, however. I seem to remember that my kitten enjoys a good spanking.”

“Very much so; may I have one?”

“Perhaps later. We do need to discuss your limits and potential punishments now, before we get started.”

He was right, of course, but that didn’t make her any happier. “You know my limits.”

“They need adjusting. Your original hard limits can no longer apply, Kat as you are no longer human and you no longer need be presentable for a human job. This is not domination and submission between one human and another, or one god and one human, for that matter.” He steeled himself not to react as she began to tremble. “The limits I _will_ still abide by include the use of either fecal matter or urine, breaking bones, and causing injuries that cannot be healed naturally within a day or so. I _will_ bruise you and I may draw blood.”

“And my safe word?” she asked faintly.

“As I told you, your safe word will still be honored. But Kat, you must accept punishment if you disobey, you know that. Your safe word is for use if you truly cannot handle a situation or if you are in unexpected physical distress; not when you simply do not like what you’re given. It would not be punishment if you enjoy it.”

“I know.”

“I’ve no wish to harm you if other methods will suffice. For a first transgression other than an egregious one, the punishment will be a sensory deprivation time-out.” She silently rubbed her cheek against his jaw. “You are not commanded to silence at this time, love. You may speak.”

“Thank you, Loki. May I ask what you mean by that?”

“You will be blindfolded and gagged and left alone. I will not speak to you, nor allow you to hear any sound or feel anything but your restraints. The amount of time you spend in punishment will be arbitrary so that you cannot anticipate when it will end as this will increase the feelings of isolation and of uncertainty as to your fate.” It would also be much easier on him than a corporeal punishment. The thought of intentionally causing her pain that was not designed to stimulate or arouse made him nauseous. “However, if you continue the behavior, then I shall administer a physical punishment that may include strokes with a driving whip.”

Kat shuddered. While the damage done by a light driving whip was not as severe as that done by other whip styles popular in BDSM, in the hands of a god it could easily be deadly. Well, deadly to a human. “Loki, I can’t…”

“I will not use nearly my full strength and you know that. You are also much stronger than you were before. Fandral was not holding back when he mishandled you, yet you did not so much as bruise. _Do you trust me_?”

That was the key, really. A D/s relationship was all about the trust the submissive placed in his or her Dominant. She loved Loki, there was no doubt of that, but could she trust him with not just her pleasure but her safety? “Yes, totally.”

“Then are we agreed?”

Pain was not something she got off on, well, not real pain. But Loki was right; he did need a punishment that was an actual deterrent or neither of them would be happy with their relationship. “Yes.”

“Good.” He turned her around to examine the gown’s fastenings. “How in the Nine is this thing secured, hmm?”

She sighed. “Magic.”

“Oh for…” he snapped his fingers and the material vanished from her body, the sudden lack of support made her breasts jiggle as they dropped free. Her hair was also abruptly loosened from the myriad of braids. Loki snickered. “Now isn’t that a lovely sight. Ah, Kat.” His fingers gripped her chin and tilted her head up. “I shall have so much fun with my delightful toy.”

“Your toy can’t wait.” Kat smiled as he growled deep in his throat and lifted her up against his hard body. It looked like her fantasy lover was back!

… …

“Thank you, my friends,” Thor said as they made their way back to the feasting hall. He’d been pleasantly surprised when all three of them had agreed to help disperse the eager courtiers who had hoped to witness a bedding ceremony. Thor knew damned well it wasn’t out of any good natured teasing that so many had joined the crowd. Most were morbidly curious; either about the newly reborn Kemet or about Loki’s rumored sexual fetishes. “I know you have little love for my brother.”

Sif shrugged. “We did it for his bride. After Fandral’s abuse of her, she deserves some consideration.” She stopped short and looked up at him. “Had he been left to Asgard’s justice…”

Thor nodded. “He’d be meeting Hel in her own Realm for judgment, and it would be a harsh one. Fandral is fortunate indeed that our new princess is merciful. I hope he proves worthy of that mercy.”

“She.”

He snorted at Sif’s reminder. “That shall take a good while to get used to.”

“For Fandral as well. I must admit; it was most amusing telling her what she might expect from her new body.”

Volstagg choked on laughter. “Ah, Sif; I always knew you had a cruel side.”

She shrugged. “As a man he’d been an ass often enough to deserve it.”

“He deserved death,” Hogun muttered.

“Perhaps,” Thor agreed reluctantly. “Yet Loki’s bride saw something in him that prompted her to grant this mercy. I expect that should Fandral learn his lesson and be restored he’ll be a far better man for it.”

“Even so,” Volstagg agreed as Sif nodded and Hogun shook his head dolefully. “We must hope this comes to pass.”

… …

“What the hell?” Stark ran for his private elevator after Jarvis relayed news of attacks within S.H.I.E.L.D.; one on Fury, another at the Academy, and a third rumored one on an artifact storage facility colloquially called ‘The Fridge’ that he wasn’t supposed to know existed. “Jarvis, see if you can reach Agent.”

“There is no answer, Sir, nor one for any of his team.”

“Son of a bitch. How about Hill?”

“Negative, sir. I am attempting to reach Captain Rogers and Agent Romanov now. The number both we and S.H.I.E.L.D. had for Agent Barton is disconnected. Dr. Banner is on his way here.”

“This is not good, J. Get Pepper on the line.”

“Ringing, Sir.”

“Hello?”

“Pepper, S.H.I.E.L.D. is apparently overrun by HYDRA infiltrators. Until you hear otherwise from me or directly from Fury or Coulson, don’t trust any of them, not one damn one.”

“Wow, that’s really interesting. Good thing you’re on top of the situation.”

“Oh, crap. Is one of them there?”

“Yes, that’s _exactly_ what I was thinking. By the way, did your big brother call you?”

“My what? Damn…uh…” he wracked his brain trying to figure out who she could possibly mean. Howard hadn’t had any other children…but the bastard always compared him to Rogers. “No, not a word. Haven’t heard from Romanov either. J is trying to reach both of them, and Agent. No dice. Are they threatening you or just the company?”

“I’m fine, really. Just a bit stressed watching the market indicators.”

“Okay, the company. Look; tell them you’ll give them whatever they want, but that you’ll have to get my signature. Make it seem like I’ll sign any damn thing you give me without reading it, that it’s a done deal.”

“You do that all the time.”

“Yeah, well, I know you’re the one person in the whole damn world I can trust.” He stepped out of the elevator and headed into his workshop. His newest suit was ready. While he’d toyed with the idea of giving them up after the Extremis fiasco, in the end he hadn’t been able to do it. This was an upgrade on the Mark 43 that he’d taken Banner for a ride to Vegas with. The bastards wouldn’t know what hit them. “Hit the panic button if you think you’re in physical danger. Give them anything they want if it will keep you from getting hurt; I can shut it all down through the backdoor anyway. I’m going to try and find out what’s going on and get some help for our friends stuck on the inside of this mess.”

“Okay, you take care. I’ve got to get back to work. You know how it is, deals to broker, clients to woo. I’ll catch you at the next event.”

“Thanks, beautiful. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something.” The line clicked off and Tony swore a blue streak. “J, did you reach anyone yet?”

“Dr. Banner has arrived and is on his way to your workshop.”

“Great; hope he can hold onto the Other Guy until we figure out just who he should get angry with.”

… …

“What bothers you, my lady?” Odin asked her.

Frigga shook her head. “Nothing important.”

“Humph. I know that look. You are stressing over Loki’s future. Rest easy; he is important to all of us; I shall see that he is safe on Midgard.”

“Oh for…that is not it at all. Must everything be about your plans? I wish only for my son’s happiness.”

She glared at his puzzled expression. “He is wedded to the woman he professes to love. There shall be no further punishment for his crimes,” Odin raised a hand as she started to interrupt; “because there were sufficient mitigating circumstances to excuse them. Asgard will make reparation to both Jötunheim and Midgard on his behalf and all will be well. Why should he not be happy?”

“He fell in love with a human; she is no longer such.”

“No, she is better than a human.”

“Not if she…ah, never mind; I likely worry for naught.”

Her husband stared at her for several long moments and then his eyes widened. “Ah; as a human she accepted his…peculiarities and you fear that as a goddess she shall not?”

“Peculiarities? Oh please, is that what you called your father’s preferences?” She enjoyed his slight flush. “Loki is not…”

“That is the polite term for it amongst the nobility as you well know. I did not say aught was wrong with his, ah, needs.” He drummed his fingers on the table restlessly for a moment. “You can rest easy, my lady. A woman who meets those needs will not have changed psychologically simply because she has changed physically.” Shaking his head he lifted his goblet.

“Loki fears that she has since she is so powerful now.”

Her husband snorted wine out of his nose and she bit back a laugh at his loss of dignity. “Now? Only now? That woman faced me down in my own court as a mere mortal.” He shook his head. “Called me sadistic when she knew I could kill her with little more than a gesture. She has always been powerful. No, becoming a goddess will not have changed _that_ one’s needs.”

“And so I assured Loki; but I fear he did not believe me.”

Odin suffered her sopping up the snorted wine with a cloth before responding. “Ah, well; he will learn. I much doubt she’ll allow him to treat her any differently. That is a woman who knows what she wants and will face any odds to have it. Much like you, in some ways.”

She gave him a serene smile. “It is time to leave the celebration to the young, my husband.”

… …

Loki was frowning as he idly played with her clit. “What’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Ah, I was considering how best to go about this. Until your body is experienced again, intercourse could be too painful for excessive play.”

“I thought you were going to not hold back to see what my limits were?”

“Well, yes…after.”

Kat huffed impatiently. “Loki, virgins get fucked roughly all the time. Don’t over think this.”

“I’ve warned you about your language,” he muttered and turned her over his knee. “If I have to call you on it again, you will be punished, now be silent.” His strong hand connected with her cheeks hard enough to drive her into his muscular thighs. If she’d still been human, her abdomen would have bruised. As it was she moaned and wriggled, loving how the heat spread across her ass and arousal began to drip down her thighs. “Brat; you’re loving this.” The spanking continued as he spoke, interrupted only when he paused to caress the red, tingling skin.

“Yessss. Please don’t stop.”

“And still, she speaks. Well, we can’t have such disobedience continue as I’d hate to have to stop to punish you.” Kat gasped, or tried to, when a thick wad of cloth materialized in her mouth. She glanced up to see Loki grabbing the ends and then felt him tie them tightly behind her head and pull her hair out to rest on top of the knot. “Much better,” he decided and pushed her head back down so that her nose touched the soft sheets. “Hum a tune other than your safe tune, love, so that I may see if it is audible.” She hummed a tune she thought he might recognize. “Ah, Greensleeves?” he asked.

“Um hmm.”

“Good.” His right hand fisted in her hair and he pulled her up by it.

The pressure wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t overly painful. The last time someone had pulled her body by her hair she’d shrieked, feeling like her hair was being pulled out. This was…she lost her train of thought as he yanked sharply and bent her slightly backwards to bite down on a nipple. Her back was arched over his knee as fire ran from her breast to her already needy cunt. His teeth were clamped down so hard she was surprised he wasn’t drawing blood…and she loved it. “Mmmm,” she managed around the gag.

“Like that, do you? Ah, my sweet toy, that is only the beginning.” She followed him with her eyes as he dropped her back on the bed and reached into a nearby chest and drew out several neatly coiled and tied off ropes. He pulled them across her breasts and belly so that she could feel the caress of silk. “You want no special consideration for your virginity then you shall have none.” One of the ropes, a green one, was shaken out and he stood to run it through a ring on the bedpost. He tied it off around her wrist and then knotted it just before her neck. Several twists, a heavy knot at the hollow of her throat and another knot on the other side of her neck secured it to prevent strangulation, and then he had tied the other wrist and pulled it all tight to reach the matching ring on the other bedpost. The resulting position with arms stretched wide and neck secured would partially cut off her air if she tried to lean her head forward or too far to either side. Not dangerously so, but enough to heighten sensations. Her eyes widened as he folded her leg so that her heel touched her thigh and used a black silk rope to hold it there. The end of that rope was pulled off to the side of the bed in the center and secured near the frame, pulling her leg wide open. The other quickly received the same treatment.

Kat shivered in anticipation as Loki stared at her displayed body, clearly enjoying the view. “Mmm…uhhh?”

“Still trying to talk?” Loki gestured and a jump bat appeared in his hand. Apparently he had no need to limit his use of magic here. The shorter length of the bat versus the more common riding crop meant that he would have greater control of it and could create a much harder impact. Kat shrieked into the gag when he whipped it, not against her upturned ass cheeks as she’d expected, but against her labia, just over her clit. “Hmm, not quite right,” he murmured and tossed the bat onto the bed and retrieved a coil of thin gold silk rope. This one he looped around her hips and thighs and then ran it between her legs. When he’d finished twisting, looping and occasionally knotting, her labial lips and ass cheeks were held open by two thin strands of the rope, exposing her anus, vaginal canal and clitoris. She shuddered, wondering what he had planned for her. “Anticipation or fear, kitten?” Loki asked with a smirk. “A bit of both, I think.”

“Mmmhmm,” she managed and then shrieked again when the flat leather end of the bat struck her clit.

… …

Loki checked her reaction. Kat’s eyes were tear filled, but she didn’t look pained. Good. The object of this play was to give her the helpless, mastered feeling she craved, not to break her spirit. “Yes, I think I like this,” he said softly. Experimentally sliding a finger into her soaked quim he decided to prepare her backside as well. After all, that was now equally virgin. A thorough application of the oil he kept in a decorative applicator later, he nudged a digit into the tight puckered hole. Kat moaned beautifully. “Oh yes, my beautiful virgin slut; we shall use all of you well this night.” A shudder ran throughout her plump body. “I shall have all of you and in every way I can manage, I think. Perhaps now that you are no longer mortal, I shan’t have to wait whilst you recover from a faint before continuing my pleasure.” And yours, he thought, but did not say. Verbalizing that he did this for her pleasure as much as for his would not give her the psychological thrill she needed. He continued to gently thrust and twist his finger in the tight anal canal while he soothed her tensed muscles with his free hand. “Shall I remove the gag? Can you refrain from speaking without permission?” She nodded as vigorously as her neck restraint allowed.

Her eyes were pleading when he pulled the folded linen from her mouth. He nodded permission for her to speak. “Thank you, Loki. May I have some water?” she rasped.

“Of course, kitten.” He stood and poured a small amount of water into a goblet and supported her head as he held it to her lips. She sipped a bit and swirled it inside her mouth before swallowing. “Enough?”

“Yes, thank you. Just needed to get moisture back.”

“I’ll like as not forget your thirst as we go on. You have my permission to speak to ask for water whenever you need it.”

“Thank you, Loki,” she whispered and then closed her mouth obediently.

“What a good girl you are. Not sure if it was the gag or the bat…” he paused as she shivered. “But I did enjoy your reaction to the latter,” he continued and scooped up the discarded toy and swatted her exposed clit and each nipple in quick succession. Kat shrieked again, arching her back and then gasped as her throat pushed into the well placed knots in her neck restraint. “You’re well and truly secured my sweet wife. Pull away from or push toward any sensation and you cut off your air. You shall take what I give you when I give it to you or grow faint. At that point I shall repeat the sensation that caused the reaction and you’d best not do it again lest I need to punish you.” Her whimper made him smile “Of course, contrary chit that you are you may want the punishment, ah, we shall have so much fun, love, do you not agree?”

“Yes, Loki.” Excitement brightened her eyes as he applied the flat part of the bat across her tensed body, only rarely returning to strike her large sensitive nipples and already swelling clit. Her skin reddened beautifully in the wake of his attentions to it and he knew that the stinging was sensitizing every inch of her. Soon he’d be able to get an extreme reaction from doing no more than trailing his fingertips along her hip. Her quim was weeping as her desire built, but it was not yet time to consummate their union. First things first, and that meant eking every bit of pleasure he could from her.

He’d removed everything but his breeches and boots by this point and the breeches would have to go soon. His cock was now painfully hard and the rubbing leather was not helping with his determination not to fuck her just yet. Twisting his fingers into the rope that was anchored about her hips to spread her labia, he pulled her backside a bit further off the bed. She gagged slightly as the neck restraint pressed into her trachea and he glanced up quickly to ensure she was not being harmed before inserting the leather wrapped handle of the bat into her well prepared but barely stretched anus. Kat moaned and twisted and then, quite predictably, gasped for air. “I warned you,” he scolded as he lightly thrust the stiff rod in and out of her tight hole. Her moans resumed as she relaxed her head and shivers of pleasure made her muscles vibrate beneath her sleek, reddened skin. “So beautiful, my slutty toy.” A disappointed whimper when he removed the bat made him smirk as he quickly replaced it with two fingers eliciting a guttural groan. “Oh yes, you loved that, didn’t you, kitten?”

“Goddess, yes, Loki. Please…”

“Hmm, please what?”

“Please fuck my ass.”

“No, not just yet. Worry not, we shall get to that, but when _I_ wish it.” He continued to thrust two fingers in and out, spreading them slightly to stretch the tight hole. Her clit was so tempting a target he slapped it good and hard with the business end of the bat. Kat’s soft scream was musical as she ejaculated in a hard stream. “Perfect,” he praised as he rewarded her by giving her nipples the same treatment. Abandoning the bat as she sobbed in ecstasy, he slipped the tips of two fingers into her canal, gently pressing forward against her hymen. A moan escaped her as he rubbed her fluids into the thin membrane. “Perhaps a more efficient way of lubricating, you, hmm?” he mused as he leaned forward and licked from her dripping hole to her clit and nipped the swollen nub.

“Please!” she cried as more fluids gushed from her hyper stimulated body. He glared at her over her curved belly and she bit her lip.

“That’s quite enough disobedience,” he scolded, pulling away from both her quim and her ass. She whimpered and looked up at him with a petulant pout. “Open,” he ordered, tapping her lips. Her mouth opened and he used a wisp of power to send his breeches and boots to the closet as he straddled her breasts and literally stuffed his raging erection into the small cavity. An outraged squeak was all the sound she could make as he positioned himself to lean on the headboard and began fucking her throat. Slowly at first to give her jaw a chance to loosen up, he thrust in deep, trusting her experience to keep her from choking on his thick staff. Her eyelids fluttered as he picked up the tempo and depth of his penetrations until he was moving at an almost punishing rate and bottoming out at the back of her throat.

“Ganngghhh,” she mumbled around the obstruction as he reached down to tip her jaw up to allow his staff to slide into her throat proper. That movement, as he had expected, forced her trachea into the carefully placed knots of her neck restraint, reducing the airflow even though she had learned long ago to breathe deeply through her nose. The resulting slightly desperate convulsions milked his throbbing cock almost painfully.

“Gods! That’s it, love. Take it down like a good toy.” He watched her face closely as he continued to thrust, not wanting to cut off her air completely. Her face remained a healthy color, though her cheeks were stained pink with effort. No purpling or bluing to indicate that the reduction in oxygen was becoming a problem. “I am going to fuck your throat so hard that you won’t want to talk for a week,” he threatened. Her lashes fluttered again but she made no attempt to hum or otherwise express distress. Letting go Loki went all out, thrusting hard down her throat, listening to the sounds of gagging backed by whimpered moans that made a delicious shivering sensation run through his cock. Her throat convulsed again, harder this time, and she moved her head to encourage him to go deeper yet. “My perfect slut,” he ground out as the excruciating pressure sent him hurtling towards orgasm. “Fuck!” he yelled as a combination of a particularly tight convulsion, sluggish movement of her tongue and a sudden closing of her teeth triggered his ejaculation. He growled in pleasure as his cum shot deep in her throat, then pulled back and out and used his hand to coax the remainder to splatter over her face as he sat back on his heels. “Never have I had so perfect a lover as you, my beautiful wife,” he told her as he moved to sit by her side and stroke her cum-smeared cheeks. His breath was puffing as he rested, watching her relax her head so that the rope no longer pressed into her neck. “Not too much?” he asked quietly.

Kat smiled beatifically. “Wonderful,” she rasped. “May I have more?”

Loki dropped back on the bed, laughing. “Oh yes, my love; you will have a great deal more before this night is through. We’ve barely begun.”

… …

Thor set his tankard down on the table and looked around the hall. His parents had long since quit the celebration but the Kemetic goddesses were still there, all three of them in their purely humanoid forms. At the moment, Isis was debating something or other with Sif and Sekhmet was challenging Volstagg in an ale chugging contest. He smiled as yet another tankard was emptied and discarded by each of them and a full one lifted. “He cannot win,” a soft voice informed him. He glanced up at the vaguely feline, even in this form, features of Bastet.

“Why not?”

“Ra tricked her into drunkenness once to take her attention away from a battle between their respective followers that he wished her to lose. Once she’d regained her sobriety, she worked at increasing her tolerance. I haven’t seen her so much as tipsy since.”

He chuckled and lifted his tankard to salute the two locked in a contest he was certain neither would win. “Volstagg drank all of Asgard dry during one festival on a dare. I suspect they will both sicken before either of them concedes or loses through a drunken collapse. This contest will no doubt become the stuff of legend.”

“Purrhaps,” she said, rolling the r. “The others seem to have found themselves agreeable company,” she continued, gesturing to his friends and the other noble warriors and ladies who had indeed paired up. “Why do you sit alone?”

“I love a woman not of Asgard. Were I to accept the comfort of another, I feel it would betray her trust in me.”

“Another mortal?”

“Aye.”

Bastet frowned and selected a piece of meat from the platter and chewed it, looking thoughtful. “I do not believe we can assist you with that, godling,” she said after swallowing the morsel. “Bringing life to Ka-Maat was difficult. We could not birth another goddess so soon. Your mortal will likely be dust before we could even hope to attempt such a thing again.”

In truth, he hadn’t even thought of that being a possibility. “Could you not use the Lotus Staff to extend her life?”

“No, its power works only on the Kemet or their ilk. It would heal a human’s illnesses or injuries, but not give them more than their allotted years.”

That made no sense from what Isis had told Odin. “But did Isis not extend her priestess’s life with it before the All-Father took possession of it?”

The cat-goddess snickered. “In the first birth of her soul, Ka-Maat was only half-human. She was specifically bred to become the High Priestess and Avatar of Isis as a full-blooded human would have perished attempting to channel that much power. Had the temple not been overrun and her guards slaughtered, she might easily have lived five thousand years. She was Isis’s daughter by blood then.”

“Then my father’s possession of the staff killed Isis’s child. No wonder you’ve hated us.”

“Yes. We could have saved her with it.” Thor downed the contents of his tankard as the goddess gave him a sly smile. “Do not brood upon this; were she not reborn as a mortal she would never have been in a position to fall in love with your brother.”

“I shall trust that it was all fate, then.”

“Karma, which is why that power has become hers.” Thor shivered at the implications in the goddess’s simple statement.

… …

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered as he looked at the bleeding mess that used to be S.H.I.E.L.D.’s kick-ass Director laying on the floor of Captain America’s rundown apartment. Several men who had attacked him as he arrived were scattered about the place alongside a few others who had no doubt been taken down by the still missing Steve Rogers. “Is he even alive?”

“Yes, sir,” Jarvis responded. “Though his pulse is thready and his breathing erratic, the director is still with us.”

“Iron Man?” a female voice asked. Tony looked up to see a woman with messy blonde curls very professionally aiming a hand weapon at him. “How did you know to come here? Please tell me you’re here to help him,” she added, a hint of steel entering her voice as her stance firmed.

“Actually, I was looking for Cap. Have you seen him? You know; Mr. Perfect, except for his wardrobe which tends towards either the anachronistic or fit for a chorus line?”

“Not funny; Steve left to try to prevent Hydra from taking over important S.H.I.E.L.D. assets.”

“They’re trying to launch Project Insight with the new helicarriers, aren’t they?”

She looked startled for a moment and then her chin lifted resolutely. “Yes.”

Tony sighed. He’d campaigned against the damned things, but hadn’t been taken seriously. His tech had been stolen and bastardized by Ian Quinn’s corporation so S.H.I.E.L.D. had cut him out of the loop. “The old pirate needs serious medical help,” he said, nodding at Fury. “Where can I take him that’s safe?”

… …

Loki smirked as he beheld his trussed up bride. His cum was dripping from her lax lips and her quim was ripe with her desire. “Ah, my darling, you look magnificent. Of course, you’ll look even better once I’ve left my seed in other places.” She pressed her lips together. “You may speak freely for now,” he said magnanimously.

“Now will you fuck my ass?” she whined.

He laughed at the petulant tone. “I’ll consider it if you behave.” Rolling up onto his knees he reached for the jump bat. “I wonder if you would have used your safe word had I used this on you in Las Vegas.” She shook her head. “No? Not even if it left welts?” Her eyes widened. “Well, answer.”

“Yes, because that would have breached our agreement.”

“Ah, so it would have. That agreement would have been fresh in my mind so I would have adjusted the force of the blows so as not to leave such. You would have enjoyed that, I think.” She nodded vigorously. “You are working so hard at being obedient, you deserve a reward.” Sliding off the bed he used the bat on her still exposed clit and her hard nipples before peppering every bit of her exposed skin from her collarbones down with light swats while he opened his toy chest and looked for a special item he’d created. “There we are. You shall enjoy this, pet.” He glanced over to see her straining to see. “Must I blindfold you?” That was actually an excellent idea. Putting the device back down, he retrieved a length of black silk and wrapped it around her eyes. “Not a word, my sweet.” Loki laughed as her lips turned down in a pout.

“But…”

“Ah-ah-ah, you’ve disobeyed again; that merits punishment.” He materialized the gag back in her mouth, stepped away from her and stood with his arms folded across his chest, then invoked silence upon her ears as she strained to listen. Regardless of any small sounds he made, the room remained utterly silent to her perception as he waited for her to show signs of concern. Patience was his strong suit, but watching her lay there, dripping with his cum and her own sweet fluids, ripe and ready for his attention might just cause him to lose his mind…or what was left of it. He shook his head, determined not to dwell on that issue; the mental stability he’d found with Kat was, quite literally, a godsend. A good half hour had passed when she finally made a soft audible sniff, and a tear dripped down her cheek from under the blindfold.

… …

Kat was worried. She didn’t know how long it had been since Loki had left her there, blindfolded and immobile. He’d just told her not to speak, so of course she’d immediately opened her mouth. He must be so angry! Oddly, she didn’t feel his anger, or anything else from him for that matter. Was he even still in the room? He’d teleported them, shifted, he’d called it, into his room from the corridor outside the feasting hall. She sniffed as she lost the battle against crying. He must be so disappointed in her; she’d promised him that she’d still be every bit as submissive, but she wasn’t submissive enough. Never had been fully so and he knew it. But he’d been so concerned that their power dynamic had changed; maybe he didn’t see that now? Where was he? A sob escaped despite her best intentions.

“Do you regret your disobedience?” Loki said quietly from her left. He was still there! “Answer freely,” he told her as he removed the gag.

“Yes, Loki.”

“Hmm. Do you know what you did wrong?”

She nodded. “I spoke when you specifically ordered me not to.”

“Anything else?”

What else? Oh, she’d been questioning and in a way that might be construed as an attempt to influence his decisions. “Yes.” Another soft sob emerged. “I-I was trying to top from the bottom. I’m so sorry.”

The bed shifted as he sat down beside her. “Not so sorry as I am. That was the sensory deprivation punishment we spoke of, though I will move you to the corner of the room in the future for such. If you disobey again, the punishment will be corporeal.” She turned her blindfolded face towards him; he sounded almost despondent. Opening her mouth she pressed it closed again. He’d given her leave to answer freely, not to question him. He sighed. “Go ahead and say what you wish until I tell you otherwise.”

“Thank you. Loki, I’m sorry I keep messing up. I’m not a submissive slave, I’m a sexual submissive, a toy. You know that, we’ve discussed it before. I love you and I want to belong to you; I’m trying so hard.” The tears were flowing harder now; she was so frightened that he’d give up on her and decide she wasn’t worth the effort. What would happen if he did? There was no divorce in Asgard, she’d been told.

Her husband drew in a breath and let it out in a deep sigh. “I do know that, and you have been trying and succeeding so well that I suppose I expected more.” There was a tug on her hair and the blindfold slipped away. “I will still punish you for direct disobedience though; even a sexual submissive must obey during playtime.”

“I know, and I expect to be punished. Can we define playtime, please?”

“You’re tied up and your sex exposed for my enjoyment; I’d think it would be obvious that this is playtime, kitten.”

“Funny. Later, when it’s not playtime, may we define playtime and a few other things that weren’t necessary for a one night encounter but will be considering we’re kind of forever?”

“Only ‘kind of’?”

She shrugged as best she could considering how tightly the bonds held her. “So long as we both shall live and I’m told that’s going to be a really long time.”

“So it is. How are your muscles holding out?”

“Um…fine, I guess being a goddess has its sexual perks.”

“It does indeed.”

… …

He had forgotten and she was right; they had discussed it. Running a hand across her trembling flesh Loki relished the soft whimpers that escaped her lips. The redness caused by his use of the jump bat was fading from the short respite she’d gotten while he’d let her stew and think about her disobedience. The deprivation of sight and sound, wondering what would come next seemed to be adequate for her transgressions so far. Kat moaned as he ran two stiffened fingers all the way from her anus to her clit; such a delicious sound. He silently retrieved the bat and snapped it forcefully against that lovely bud and her back arched as she shrieked. This time the fluid gushed from the exposed tissues, soaking her quim and the sheets beneath her. “So wet you are, my love,” he praised. Moving the ends of the ropes that secured her legs from the base of the frame to the canopy support bar, he pulled them tight to lift her backside further off of the bed and then added another application of the oil to her sweet ass. His play hadn’t stretched it much, but she had insisted that he should take no more than the usual care. “Are you ready for this, darling?” She nodded frantically, making him laugh. “You may answer when I ask you a question, even should it sound rhetorical,” he allowed.

“Yes, Loki, please…I’m so very ready.”

“And very needy. Look at you; dripping with arousal. My own beautiful slut.” He moved to his knees between her widespread legs and teased her vaginal canal with the head of his cock. “No, not yet,” he decided. Before she could even give him a puzzled look he guided the crown to her anus and thrust straight in. Her scream was accompanied by another gush of fluid, this time from within her still virginal quim. As he hissed at the tight pressure surrounding his cock, he noticed her pained expression. He’d hurt her; damned woman…she’d insisted. “Kat…?”

“I’m fine, please don’t stop.”

Loki shook his head slightly. Damned stubborn woman. Ah well; he couldn’t do her any harm she would not easily heal from, not like this at any rate. “It’s on your head then, my toy.” He pulled out and thrust back in again, slowly this time. “Not a word,” he warned as her mouth opened to complain, no doubt. “I will take you as I wish.” If he fucked his glorious lady as roughly as _she_ wished, he’d come far too soon to savor the experience of her tight hot hole firmly gripping him. Another slow, exquisite thrust and then another left him groaning at the pleasurable sensations shooting through his groin. He shuddered and stepped up his pace until he’d established a steady rhythm. Slowly or not, he wasn’t going to last long with the intense pressure of her anal walls. Kat was whimpering now and the pained lines had left her face. Loki shifted the angle of his penetration. While women don’t have a prostate, he’d found that if he angled properly the Skene’s Glands would be stimulated and produce much the same effect as the striking of the prostate had in a male lover. Her whimpers suddenly escalated and were punctuated by breathless gasps and Loki knew he’d found the proper angle. Leaning forward he reached over her hips and used the bed for balance to finally give her what she’d begged for from the beginning: a good hard ass fucking.

… …

Kat shrieked as Loki began pounding into her ass. “Sweet goddess!” she hissed as soon as she could take a breath and then she gave him a worried look. Loki laughed.

“I’ll count that as an expression of pleasure, love.” She let her eyes drift shut as the wonderful sensations ran through her and she swiftly lost all control of her reactions. “That’s it,” Loki encouraged, pounding hard and fast. “Let go, darling, give yourself to me totally.” His words fell on almost deaf ears as wave after wave of pleasure rose, crested and fell, leaving her chest heaving in an effort to take in oxygen and scream after wordless scream tore out of her throat. She no longer knew the passage of time, was no longer certain of where she was or what was happening to her. All that Kat knew was that she never wanted this, whatever _this_ was, to end. What was happening? Where was she? Who…?

“Loki!” she screamed as the world exploded around her.

… …

Thor shook his head ruefully as the sound of retching echoed from his bathing chamber. Volstagg’s lady had refused to allow him to come home with her after his aborted drinking contest against Sekhmet. “I cannot believe she simply conceded,” Sif complained. “It was obvious that Volstagg would soon collapse.”

“Diplomacy?” Hogun suggested.

“Likely had no wish to be blamed for Volstagg’s death should he fall drunkenly out a window,” Thor said with a chuckle. Speaking of falling out of windows…Hogun was leaning precariously out of his. “What do you?”

“Listening.”

“To what?”

The taciturn warrior shrugged. “Nothing.”

Curious now, Thor joined him on the balcony and looked out. People were leaning out of balconies on the two floors below them, looking up towards Loki’s end of the hall. It took him a moment; he admitted to not being the quickest of wit, but he broke out into a loud guffaw as he withdrew back into his rooms. “They listen for naught,” he told his friends as Sif pushed past him to look outside. “Loki has used sound-blocking wards for centuries.”

“Ah, so that is why so few know…um…well…” Sif trailed off uncomfortably.

“It is why his private business remains private,” Volstagg said before he belched. Loudly. “Smart boy; always was.”

“Feeling better _old_ friend?”

“Much, Thor. My thanks for the use of your chambers; Guðrún was not pleased with my folly this night.” He sighed as he dropped down on a seat meant for two. “I did not win,” he said gloomily.

“You won, the Kemet conceded,” Sif corrected.

“Nay, my lady, that is not a win; even less so as I know it to be her concern for my well-being that led to it. I must acknowledge her true win at the next gathering. The Lion of Asgard is no longer the greatest drinker in all the Nine Realms.”

Thor choked back his laughter with great difficulty. “But you are still the biggest man in all of Asgard, my friend,” he said.

“Aye, that I am!”

… …

Kat awoke to the feel of a hard body spooned against her back with a cocoon of silk sheets wrapped about them both. “Did I faint again?”

“More or less,” Loki told her. His tone was fond and indulgent and she smiled as he nuzzled her shoulder. “We are still discovering your limits. Apparently a half-hour non-stop orgasm is the most you can tolerate.”

“A half…you’re kidding, right?” He had to be kidding; it wasn’t possible to orgasm that long.

“Possibly a smidge less; I’m not certain. I do know that after I finished you continued to come as I played with your quim and I took nearly a quarter hour at my pleasure.”

“Wow. I don’t feel sore or anything, though.”

“Good. I untied you so that your muscles could fully relax and rubbed the circulation back into your limbs while you were out.”

“Thank you; I guess passing out is a convenient way to avoid the pins and needles sensation. I hate that.”

He chuckled softly while turning her over on her back. “Two down and one to go, my darling wife.”

“One? Oh, right.” She let her lips part under a very lovely tender kiss.

“Are you well rested?”

“I suppose so. I don’t feel particularly tired at any rate. How long was I out?”

“Hmm, about an hour.”

“Huh, feels like I had a nice long nap. Maybe the Kemet have a quick recovery time?”

“Of course they do, love.”

“Loki?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry I ruined it for you by passing out.”

His expression almost made her laugh. “What in the Nine gave you the idea that anything was ruined? Taking you so hard and furiously, bringing you so strongly; it was an amazing experience.”

“Oh. Good.” She squirmed as his fingers fondled her suspiciously dry folds. “Did you clean me up while I was out?”

“Of course. Now I can get you messy all over again.” He leaned in for what proved to be another tender, loving kiss. “It’s my duty and privilege to care for my toy.”

It was his duty as her Dom, she knew that. It was kind of disappointing that she’d missed the aftercare. That lovely bath with the champagne had been so much fun. Oh, well. “Your toy loves both being made messy and being cleaned up,” she told him instead. “Loki?”

His eyes narrowed and she bit her lip hoping he wouldn’t order silence again just yet. “What is it, kitten?”

“I love you and I wouldn’t want to belong to anyone but you. I-I guess I’ve been subconsciously waiting for you my whole life.”

“Is that why you had no Dominant of your own?”

“Probably. Or maybe because I’m high maintenance.”

“Doubtful. How many Doms had you refused before you met me?”

“Refused playtime with, or refused a collar from?”

“The latter; you have good taste and know what you need. I’m certain the former number is astronomical.”

“Well, not that high…uh, not that I’ve accepted playtime with very many, but…” she trailed off, not sure how to explain that very few Doms or Dommes had ever approached her for it. “Most thought I was too strong to be as submissive as they wanted, I guess.”

“If a Dom or Domme needs a doormat instead of a submissive, then they are not truly dominant. Ah, it matters not. They were only human, after all, and you were always more than worthy of a god.” She gasped as he began pinching and rubbing her clit. “Look at you; mere moments of light foreplay and you are already well on your way to full arousal. Now, do not presume to ask me to take you in a certain way; I will not put up with you topping from the bottom again. If I want to take you gently, it is because I do what _I_ want.”

Kat smiled as he stared her down. “Yes, Loki.”

… …

His kitten was all but a Brat. But he was Dom enough to handle such; it added a bit of spice to the relationship. First, he would see her aroused to the point of losing all control again. Then he would take her unwelcome returned virginity however he pleased. “I want you silent now and on your knees,” he commanded and hid a smile as she pouted. Yes, a Brat indeed.

“Oh, but…”

“That’s one; don’t push me.” Her pout deepened as she moved to her knees and waited for further direction. “Arms up and hands clasped behind your head.” She complied and he began wrapping and knotting rope tightly around one of her full breasts, turning the soft globe into a firm cylinder, leaving only the aureole and nipple uncovered. Kat whimpered softly at the extreme pressure that barely allowed blood to flow. That breast’s peak started to turn deep claret in color as he bound up the other. Once both were secured he tied off first one wrist and then the other to the rail at the top of the bed posts, leaving her stretched up so that her knees barely rested on the bed, with widespread arms exposing her torso, front and back, completely. Next he pulled her legs apart and tied a rope off at the foot of the bed, knotted it about her right ankle and then connected the other end to the front of the bed tugging on both before securing it so that her leg would remain in position. By the time he’d finished the left, the exposed tips of both breasts were almost purple and his lovely toy was moaning. Her muscles were stretched out to the point of discomfort which would heighten all of the sensations he would bestow upon her. “Are you in any pain?”

“No, Loki,” she gasped. No, she was not truly pained, but her breasts had to be throbbing deliciously by this point.

“We’ll have to correct that.” He smirked as her eyes flew open and glanced at him worriedly. “Loki, you…”

“That’s two, Kat.” She snapped her mouth shut at his warning. “One more transgression and you will be punished.” He sighed as he reached for the soft leather flogger, an implement that would do no more than sharply sting her enhanced skin even should he use his full strength. “You have said that you trust me yet your actions tell me otherwise.” Her chin dropped and sad eyes peered through the mass of curls that had resulted from the releasing of her bridal braids earlier. “Remember, no words other than your safe word and those conveying pleasure will be tolerated.” She nodded and he hoped she would remember. While he had no desire to give her a non-arousing level of pain, he would do so if she continued to disobey.

Beginning with a light flick of the flogger against her generous bottom, Loki chuckled as her hips swayed slightly and mewls of pleasure escaped her lips. He strolled around the bed, flicking the toy randomly, just hard enough to create multiple streaks of pink on the canvas of her ivory skin. The front of her torso was in view now and his next flick caught her across one of her harshly bound breasts. “Sweet goddess,” she muttered as her eyelids fluttered at the sensation. Those lovely emerald orbs snapped open and stared at him in trepidation.

“That was an exclamation of pleasure, love. I’m not so strict as to count that against you; I did give you leave to make such…and yes, you may speak to thank me,” he told her as he attacked the other breast with the toy.

“Thank you, Loki,” she half shrieked. Kat’s expression was so priceless that he alternated between flogging first one breast and then the other until she was sobbing and her body trembled with pleasure. A check of her sex revealed her arousal dripping down her widespread thighs. He flicked the leather strands against her slightly spread quim and laughed at the torrent of fluid that accompanied her scream of his name.

“Enjoyed that, did you?” She nodded. “Want more? Remember, no speaking,” he reminded as she opened her mouth. Her head bobbed again and her eyes gleamed in anticipation. He reached down on the floor for the jump bat he’d previously abandoned and then strolled around the bed again, this time alternating flicks of the flogger and swats with the bat. “Hmm, I think I shall spread your labia again,” he mused.

“Oh yes, and my ass too,” she said eagerly.

Loki froze and stared at her. “Kat…damnation, woman, that’s three and four.” All but throwing the flogger and the bat down on the mattress he began untying the silk ropes that bound her breasts. She whimpered and gave him a pleading look that he resolutely ignored. Her legs were released next and finally he untied her wrists. He then took both of her wrists in one hand and pulled her off of the bed and placed her kneeling on a stool over in the corner of the bed chamber that he’d reserved for harsher play with previous subs. Without a word he grabbed her wrists and secured them in the leather cuffs attached to steel rings set near the ceiling so that she faced the wall. Leather belts fastened each calf to the stool so that she was effectively spread-eagled though vertical. “This punishment may seem harsh, Kat; but you’ve ignored the lesser penalty and have continued to disobey despite being warned multiple times.” He watched her tense up. “You may speak.”

“I know I deserve punishment, Loki. I won’t complain.”

Loki held back a sigh. She wouldn’t complain, but she would cry. He hoped she understood that this was going to hurt him more than it hurt her; though in a less physical way. “You have your safe word.” What he did not say was that if she used it during punishment for her disobedience he would lose all hope of her ever being the submissive he needed. A soft sob caught his ear. “What?”

“You expect me to disappoint you. You still don’t believe I can be a goddess and be submissive.”

“Kat…”

“I love you, Loki. Believe in me; I believe in you.”

He resolutely picked up the buggy whip. It wasn’t a particularly harsh whip. The lash portion was made entirely of softened leather, there was no metal embedded in the lash and he certainly would not put his full strength into it. But it would be painful and he fully expected her to cry. “Four more times after being warned you willfully disobeyed me by speaking when ordered to silence or by attempting to top… _again_ ; that has earned you four lashes. Try to relax into it. Tensing will only make it more painful.”

… …

Her eyes widened at the word ‘lash’. He was really going to use a whip on her? She’d thought he was bluffing. Kat did her best to relax her muscles, but fear rushed through her and she began to shake. She’d never been about pain, not real pain. True masochists totally mystified her. The whip cracked and she winced as a line of fire seemed to angle across her back. “Count them aloud, Kat.”

“One,” she managed shakily. He drew in a harsh breath and the crack sounded again as it struck her about an inch from the first point. “T-two.” Breathing deeply and trying to still her trembling, she tried to think rationally about it. Painful? Hell, yes. But she’d been killed and been reborn just a few days before and this was nothing compared to that pain. The thought crystallized as he spoke.

“You’re halfway there and doing well. I’m impressed.” Loki’s voice was shaky. He really didn’t think she’d make it, she decided; but he needed to make it clear to both of them that he was the Dom and that she _must_ obey. For his sake, she could do this. As she took a deep breath the whip cracked again.

“Three!” she shrieked. This one would leave a deep welt; she could feel the heat of her blood swelling the skin. She could also feel tears running down her cheeks.

“Last one,” Loki whispered.

The final stroke seemed deeper than the rest and Kat screamed out the count. “Four!” before she broke down sobbing. Wet heat oozed down her back; it had broken through her skin. What would such a blow have done to her if she was still human? She could hear the whip clatter on the floor and then the belts were removed from her calves before Loki released her wrists and carried her back to the bed, stretching her out on her stomach on the silk sheets. “I love you,” she whispered as he gently turned her face to the side and stroked the back of his hand along the curve of her cheek.

“I’ve hurt you, kitten. Do you not think me a monster?” His voice sounded raw, as though he had been the one who had screamed. She felt a soft wet cloth on her back, patting gently. It was taken away and Loki applied some type of cream, one that seemed to have an analgesic effect, to the cut and welt made by the last two strokes of the whip.

“Never,” she whispered. “I’ll always love you.” Another soothing cloth, this one fragrant with what she recognized as healing herbs was pressed over her abused skin. Loki gathered her into his arms being sure to keep her leaning forward so that no pressure was placed on her back. She cuddled into his chest and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Something wet splashed on her cheek.

“Don’t disobey me again, Kat. I find that punishing you this way is something I wish never to repeat, though I will if I must. Sweet Yggdrasil; how I love you.”

… …

Sekhmet stared out the window as she waited for both her head and her stomach to settle. “I was surprised to hear you concede, sister,” Isis commented, thankfully in a soft voice.

“Fool Æs would have drunk himself to death.”

“But you would not?”

“That is why I conceded; I would live to win another day.”

A screeching snarl made her wince in pain as it rang through her oversensitive ears. “How _dare_ he?” Bastet hissed.

Sekhmet groaned. “How dare who and how dare he do what?” Not that she really cared what any of the fools in Asgard did, but if she humored Bastet, perhaps she would be quieter.

“That misbegotten half-breed has hurt Ka-Maat. I felt it through the energy we share.”

“It’s a trifle difficult to deflower a virgin without hurting her,” she smirked.

“The ale clouds your brain, my sister; I know the difference. She bleeds and not where one would expect.” Her sister goddess touched a line across her back. “Here is where he has hurt her and he shall pay for his impertinence.”

“Bast…”

“We should have insisted they hold off on the joining until I could teach her to use the field of protection I gifted her with; now that…”

“Enough!” Isis roared, startling Sekhmet out of her wooziness. Roaring was her purview, after all. “Have you felt a cry for help from her? I have not. You know what he is, what she is. Leave them be!”

“But if the whelp has truly done her harm,” Sekhmet began tentatively.

“If it was harm she did not agree to, we would be feeling her call for us. Do not force me to command you, Bastet,” Isis warned as their sister shifted forms and headed for the door. “We _will_ wait. Should we find aught has happened that Ka-Maat did not agree to, _then_ the godling shall pay the price. Until that time we will stay out of it.”

Bastet hissed in impotent fury. Sekhmet sighed and let her aching head drop to the cushioned back of the large chair. As powerful as each of them were, they would not disobey Isis. Not unless they fancied a permanent visit with Osiris to face the judgment of Ka-Maat’s opposite, Maat, goddess of Karma for the Dead. “I’ll save his liver for you if he is truly in the wrong,” she offered to the oversized cat that stalked back and forth in the entry to their rooms. Bastet growled at her and leapt up onto her bed where she plopped down gracelessly. Sekhmet groaned as she staggered to her feet and then rolled onto her own bed. “Until then, let me sleep this off and I won’t get angry with you, little sister.” Bastet snorted at the empty threat and finally fell into a blessed silence.

… …

“Fill me in,” Stark demanded.

Phil sighed as he stared at the screen on the tablet he’d liberated from the compromised safe site. “How did you find us?”

“Oh, come on, Agent. Jarvis isn’t omnipotent, but he’s the next best thing. I always figured Fury had a healthy dose of paranoia, so I’ve been keeping an eye on him while he kept an eye on me. I knew he had assets S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t aware of. Considering the trouble he went to over your little return from the dead, it stood to reason he’d send you to one of his hidey-holes when shit got real, so I just kept accessing all of the codes. Besides, I game with Billy Koenig, or rather I gamed with him until your renegade did him in.”

“Stark…”

“Again with the last name; I still call you Agent,” Stark said in a wheedling tone.

They had to trust someone else with resources and since he’d trusted the man before, why not now? “About that; if we’re on a first name basis, you’d better start calling me Phil since none of us are agents any longer.”

“Fury’s not dead. Besides, wasn’t Hill his heir apparent? She can take over S.H.I.E.L.D., right?”

“She was, but she’s on Hydra’s radar now; it’s not possible for her to accomplish anything while the Division itself is compromised.”

“Whereas you, to most of the world, are dead so you can act outside of the Division.”

“Exactly.” He watched with amusement as Stark paced back and forth in front of the camera, rubbing his hands together almost gleefully.

“I can track back the bozos that threatened Pepper to uncover more of the Hydra links. She’s playing along with them right now, pretending she thinks they have a legitimate right to be pulling their bullshit.”

“You’ll make her a target.”

“Maybe. But she has a secret they don’t know about,” he said, rubbing the spot where the arc reactor previously resided. “If they did; well, let’s just say they’d be playing a different game.”

His jaw dropped slightly. Stark had finally managed to surprise him after all of this time. “You didn’t get her out of there before they used the Extremis on her, did you? You stabilized it after she’d been injected with it.”

“You’d better be alone in that motel room, Coulson. I’m not joking here; no one else knows this. _No one_. And if anyone else finds out, I’m going to hold your ass responsible, _am I clear_?”

“Crystal. I like Pepper, Tony. I would never do anything to endanger her.”

“Fine. By the way, Pepper found a new gig for Audrey so if anybody figures out the connection, they won’t find her. Got her a new name, the whole bit. Hill sent her our way for help; I guess she already suspected the shit was about to hit the fan.”

“Thank you.”

“Whatever. Just make sure no one finds out about Pepper; there’s more at stake than just her safety.”

“Hydra would love…”

“Don’t even say it. It’s another damn recurring nightmare I have. I swear, between S.H.I.E.L.D.’s bullshit and the fucking Asgardians…son of a bitch. I damn near forgot. Come on, Phil; spill the rest before I have to run. I’ve got to go schmooze some New York Public Library bigwigs and get a job for Thor’s problem child.”

“You’re getting a job at a library for Loki?” Phil blinked as he struggled to breathe. The crazy Prince was one of _his_ recurring nightmares.

“Nah, Lokes is cool. He’s marrying a former human who’s now a Kemetic goddess. She’s totally got him on the straight and narrow. Thor’s former buddy Fandral attacked the woman, no clue why and he got an unplanned sex change courtesy of her new power as his punishment. He’s…ah, _she’s_ coming here to get her heart broken repeatedly to learn some kind of karmic lesson.”

“I don’t think I want to know,” he said faintly. Stark was smirking at him. “I have enough issues to deal with.”

“And I didn’t? Hey, Asgard will owe me a solid. Fandral doesn’t have any powers, so we won’t have to worry about him pulling anything. Um, her, I mean her. Crap this is just nuts.”

“Sif didn’t mention any of this; of course she was rather preoccupied with Lorelei.”

“Sif? Isn’t she the warrior chick? And who’s Lorelei? Oh, Phil, you’ve been holding out on me. Come on, spill, baby.”

Phil smiled. Stark had no idea what he was letting himself in for. “Tony, sit down and let me tell you a tale.”

“Okay, lemme grab some popcorn first.”

… …

Loki held his amazing love against his chest; careful not to put any pressure on the area he had whipped. Her tear-streaked face was pressed into his neck; thankfully that meant that she could not see the tears in his own eyes. At first he’d felt calm and justified; she’d purposely disobeyed him multiple times. It was not done accidentally, nor unknowingly. That could not be tolerated in a Dom/sub relationship or the Dom lost all credibility and the relationship would end with both partners dissatisfied. He hadn’t put enough of his strength in the first two strokes of the lash, he knew that. While she’d certainly felt some pain, it was not going to be enough to inhibit a repeat performance. Through her parted legs he had seen moisture beading her labia; that would not do. The next stroke was perfect; leaving a lasting mark and ending her arousal entirely. He’d been so relieved to have found the correct level that he’d overdone the final stroke and his beautiful goddess had bled. Loki breathed in deeply and let the air out as slowly as he could manage to calm himself. A disbelieving smile curved his mouth as he felt her sweet lips caress his clavicle. “What do you?” he asked.

Her tongue swept along the ridge of bone that rested beneath his lean muscles. “Apologizing,” she whispered.

That surprised him into a chuckle. He’d gone beyond the punishment he’d intended and had done her an injury and she was apologizing. Hmm. She would know that he could not. “Are you sincerely sorry for your disobedience, kitten?”

“Yes, Loki.” Her mouth now caressed the tendon on the left side of his neck and was moving toward his ear.

“I do not expect a repeat of either transgression; will there be one?”

She was silent for a moment then a soft sob surprised him. “Not intentionally, Loki.”

This time he sighed audibly. “Explain.”

“I know that I was pushing and I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing. I’ll be more aware now so I won’t ever intentionally push that way again. “If I want something, and I’m not ordered to silence, I’ll beg for it appropriately.”

“That only covers half of the offense.”

“That’s what I mean. I try to be silent, but I’m not good at it. I’ll be more aware, but I could fail in that one again.”

And she likely would. His beautiful toy was nothing if not vocal. “That was the less disturbing transgression, Kat. Speaking without permission will earn you the lesser penalty unless you continue it after you’ve received that punishment.” She silently rubbed her cheek against his jaw. “You are not commanded to silence at this time, love. You may speak.”

“Thank you, Loki. But if I continue, you’ll whip me again?”

“Do not continue it and I shall not need to.” The sensory deprivation would be much easier on him; intentionally causing her pain had left his stomach in knots.

“I understand,” she said neutrally. No fear, no doubt, no excitement; this was good. “Loki? I know we agreed to discuss this later, but if we’re discussing consequences, I’d really appreciate it if we talk about the rest. I know tonight is all playtime. Would you please set up rules for other times and places so that I’m aware of what’s expected and when?”

“All right; we need to give you some recovery time before we go on anyway. Unless we both agree otherwise and set specific limits as to the duration and type of play, playtime will now only occur in our private chambers, regardless of in what realm those chambers might be found.”

“Sensible. So if we both agree, you can still test my limits and arouse me or even make me cum in public like you did at that feast?”

“Correct; but I cannot surprise you with it, nor demand it on the spot; though I may _ask_ it of you, you will be free to refuse without consequences or fear of disappointing me.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled; she was really working at being a good submissive. “Next, if we are alone in our private chambers and have no looming engagements we need to attend it is always playtime.” Her lips pursed as she thought about that and he realized he’d forgotten a caveat. “Unless, of course, one of us does not feel well or if you have any other reason to beg off. I may not be aware you’re ill, are expecting company, or have made a promise to attend something. In those and similar cases you may _literally_ beg to be excused and I will grant you that boon.”

“So that I don’t put myself ahead of my Dom and you have the opportunity to do what’s best for your submissive, yes?”

“Exactly, sweet girl. Now, I’ve already told you what to expect on hard limits.”

Kat sighed. “Yes, and I’ve agreed, those are sensible changes. Did you mean what you said before about possibly sharing me with someone?”

Her expression was curious, not bothered in any way. “If I feel they deserve such a wondrous reward, yes. But they would be limited in what they might be allowed to do with you and I would be present to oversee that reward.” He smirked as an idea occurred. “I might also allow someone to watch me bring you to orgasm, yet not allow them to participate, simply to torture them with what they can never have.”

“That’s cruel,” she told him with a wicked grin.

“You like that idea; are you an exhibitionist?”

“I can be if I have someone I fully trust to protect me.”

“That hasn’t happened often, I’ll wager.”

“You’d win that bet. Only with my mentor before she passed away.”

“Your…was she a Domme?”

“Yes; and yes, I know, Miss was awfully indulgent with me and she let me get away with way too much. You have to understand; she wasn’t well when she took me in. It was a musculoskeletal and nervous system thing that the doctors had never seen before; they knew it was going to kill her, they just didn’t know how long she had.” Loki wrapped his arms around her as she trembled and tears filled her eyes. “It took nearly five years. She was stuck in a wheelchair from about two years in and bedridden for the final six months.”

“And you took care of her.”

“No; she had money and hired caregivers to do all of the hard stuff. I just loved her and gave her something to live for.”

“That’s caring for her, darling. Did she have you perform for her?”

“Yes, but only with people she completely trusted. She’d direct everything. I-I loved giving her that, eventually it was all I could give her.” Kat was weeping outright now; he held her close and stroked her tangled hair and her still tender back. “Is it selfish of me to say I miss it?”

“No, love. What part do you miss most?”

“Being displayed for my Domme’s and the visiting Dom or Domme’s pleasure and then used, touched, and played with on my Domme’s command. I felt so beautiful, so treasured, so desired. It was perfect.”

The tears continued to fall as he soothed her gently. “Rest my love. I’ll think on how I can recreate that type of scene for you.”

He smiled as her lips ghosted against his neck. “Thank you, Loki.”

… …

Fandral stared at the white walls of the cell, flushing every time one of the guards walked past and smirked. Between the guards’ rounds a strange reflection stared back from the reflective outer cell wall. The wavy dark blonde hair was still there, but it framed a face hairless other than eyebrows and lashes and instead of a winning smirk, that face sported five long scars. Soft large breasts had replaced the former muscular chest and well curved hips sat below a much thinner waist. The body he’d honed into a fierce fighting machine had been transformed into that of a lush woman! “This is so wrong,” she moaned.

“It’s better than you deserved,” a familiar voice told him. “Your luck still holds.”

A woman, another woman, she amended to herself bitterly, stood outside the cell. Ljúfa, no, Ljúfvina was her name. Her family, like his-hers, was minor nobility and they lived in adjoining estates. The young woman was a rather plain thing and had always followed him…arghhhh, _her_ around like a lost puppy. “I did nothing wrong,” she muttered.

“Oh, please. Fandral, you molested a woman, a royal princess, no less, in front of half the nobility. The All-Father himself witnessed it. And that was after tricking her guards into leaving her alone and unprotected; how can you say that was not wrong?”

“You don’t understand, Ljúfvina; when she arrived she was naught but a mortal slut reaching far above her station! Why should she have a Prince of Asgard as anything, let alone as a husband? Why does Loki not have better taste than that overblown chit?”

Ljúfvina gave her a pitying look. “You should have been nicer to him, you know. Parading your conquests and belittling his ability as a warrior was not the way to impress him. Ah, well. You always were a fool that couldn’t recognize a good thing when it was right under your nose.”

“You speak in riddles, as usual.” Fandral perked up when Ljúfvina bent down to put a large basket on the floor against the clear cell wall. “What is that you’ve brought?”

“Clothing from Midgard that Prince Thor brought back for you and I also brought you some food.”

“Why did Thor not bring the clothing himself?”

Her jaw dropped and she laughed. “Truly? You manhandled his brother’s bride and brought shame to him. Do you not understand how very fortunate you are that the woman was merciful? She could have demanded you be killed or worse.”

“Worse?”

“Castration is an acceptable punishment for your crime.”

Fandral groaned “In case you hadn’t noticed, she _has_ castrated me.”

“What she has done is give you a second chance. You are still intact, just transformed. Fandral, you need only learn your lesson and truly repent your behavior and you will be restored! Take that opportunity. Learn from your mistakes and grow; it is not too late for you!”

“You do not understand,” she moaned.

Ljúfvina snorted. “I understand all too well. You’ve always been short sighted; always too wrapped up in your ego to see anything or anyone you didn’t feel was good enough for you. Grow up, Fandral, before it is truly too late.” With that scathing reply she touched the wall with an amulet, slid the basket in, then turned on her heel and marched off as the wall resealed itself.

… …

Loki shuddered as he held on to his control. Since the first time he’d discovered his Jötunn blood, he’d had to force the change to that form. Something was now pushing him towards it. The goddess dozing in his arms? No, they’d been making love for hours…albeit their own somewhat atypical version of lovemaking. Kat moaned slightly as his arms tightened around her, pressing into her still tender back. The cut to her skin hadn’t healed quite yet, though it was mostly closed. Only mostly, he realized as a wet warmth smeared against his skin. He hissed in realization that it was the scent of her blood that was calling to the more feral nature of his Jötunn side. “Damnation, I should have used my power to close it,” he muttered.

“Hmm?” Kat asked drowsily.

“The cut, I should have closed the wound.”

Her dark outlined eyes stared up at him quizzically. “Forgive me if I’m being out of line, but wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of punishing me?”

The bright green of her irises contrasted beautifully with the kohl like markings that were now a permanent part of her skin, he noted, bemused by her beauty. “Ah, possibly,” he finally answered. “But not doing so is causing another issue.”

“Oh. May I know what that issue is?” Her question was asked in a respectful voice and he hadn’t ordered her back to silence so he pressed a kiss to her forehead in reward for her behavior. “The scent of your blood seems to be, ah, arousing my bestial Jötunn side.”

“I don’t find your blue form bestial, Loki. You’re beautiful like that too.” She had said so before, he knew. “But that aside, why is that a problem? I don’t understand.”

He glared at her confused expression. “You know how brutal I am in that form. With your hymen still intact the pain would be excruciating should I not be able to control how I take you.” His jaw dropped slightly at her response. “Don’t you roll your eyes at me, girl. That kind of disrespect will not be tolerated.”

Kat’s lips were pursed in a stubborn frown. “Oh, come on, Loki. You know how much I loved it last time. You only made me a little raw and I was still human then. Please?”

His cock hardened to the point of pain as the urge to take her virginity in what was, after all, his natural form grew and the hold he had on his absolute _need_ to shift forms weakened. The thought of plunging through her virginal barrier and forcing a scream from her lips was like a fire in his mind, burning away the edges of civilization, taking him into a state that would not be denied. He pulled his arm from her back and deliberately licked her blood from his bluing wrist as the change rushed through his body. “Is this what you truly want?” he hissed as he took hold of her slender throat with one cold blue hand. He squeezed firmly and pulled her up from the mattress until her breasts pressed into the clan ridges that decorated his torso.

She shivered and parted her pale legs so that her thighs straddled his and his turgid staff pressed into her soft belly. “I want my beautiful Dom to fuck his toy and make her scream for him,” she whispered.

… …

Her invitation had pushed him over the edge, she could tell. “Hands on my shoulders,” he grated. She obediently grasped the taut muscles there. His blood-red eyes blazed as he grabbed her thighs in a painful grip and lifted her up to position the head of his cock at her entrance. “You asked for this, love,” he warned as a shudder ran through his body. Oddly, the movement of his muscles was more visible under the cobalt skin than it was under the pale tone he favored. “Ka-Maat,” he said in a sharp-edged tone. “My wife, my mate, my toy; do you acknowledge this? _Do you belong to me_?”

“I’m yours, Loki,” she responded to the absolutely needy expression on his beloved face. “Now and forever.” His already ruthless grip on her thighs tightened as he pulled her down on his shaft. A burst of pain pulled a scream from her throat that was muffled by the hard mouth that took possession of hers. His cool tongue plundered the orifice just as forcefully as his cock thrust into her tight heat. The hurt didn’t abate as she had expected. Somehow it changed, morphing into sensations that sent her so far over the edge that her mind seemed to separate from her body. She watched from ‘elsewhere’ in fascination as the lithe blue form of her lover lifted and pulled her own plump body up and down at a dizzying rate. Pale fingers dug into the dark muscled shoulders as his cock pounded her sex; her head dropped back and her scream was released to echo in their bedchamber. That detached part of her noticed blood. Not just hers, though there was blood mixed with other fluids splattering from where they were joined to the silk sheets and a smear of blood had decorated her back near the cut made by the last stroke of the lash. No, there was other purplish blood and it was dripping down Loki’s blue chest and back. How…? Her claws, she suddenly realized. As she lost any control she had over her body her claws had extended and had dug into his cold skin.

“All of me, Kat!” Loki demanded as he continued to literally fuck her senseless. Her mind shifted in and out of her body. At one moment she was observing their frantic coupling, the next she was feeling it; the hard pounding deep in her ravaged cunt. The torn feeling, pain but not pain, had become ecstasy. She could feel each of the ridges that swirled along the hard column of chilly flesh that thrust within her. The tightly wound sensations were building up to an explosion just waiting for…”Cum for me, love!” Loki commanded. Kat screamed, fully in her body now, as she tipped over the precipice into a massive orgasm.

… …

Loki groaned as Kat’s hot quim gripped his staff, milking it as she came. He could no longer control the need he had to fuck her even harder. Tipping her backwards until she lay on the bed with her thighs locked around his narrow hips he rutted hard and fast into her clenching canal. Each forceful thrust was met with a shrill scream of ‘yes’ from his bucking lady’s lips and her eyes were wide and staring. Her cum and the blood from her breaching soaked them both. Thick purple fluid dripped down onto Kat’s torso as he pounded her sex. Blood. His blood. A slight fiery pain in his shoulders reminded him that his kitten had very sharp claws. A laugh spilled out as his balls tightened and lifted. “Perfect, my love,” he told her as his entire body did not just tense but convulsed as he spilled his seed deep within his beloved lady. Never had he cum so forcefully. His lungs heaved like a bellows as he fought for breath. Kat’s muscles were still shivering with the end of another prolonged orgasm as he leaned on his forearms and chuckled at the dazed expression on her sweet face. “Let go of my shoulders now, kitten. Retract those lovely claws.” Though she didn’t seem to be seeing anything her claws obediently withdrew and her hands slid down his body until they dropped to the sheets. Loki kissed her slightly parted lips reverently before dropping down to her side and pulling her into his embrace.

Kat sniffed a bit and then burrowed against him. “Not bestial,” she whispered.

“No?” He smiled as he stroked her soft body. “Ah, love. I think we were both a bit, well, let’s call it primal then.”

“Much better word. You’re still bleeding.”

And she was capable of noticing, hmm. “Apparently I didn’t fuck you hard or long enough, my love; you’re still coherent.”

“Language,” she said with a slight smirk that made him laugh.

“That was far too, ah, primal to be called lovemaking. Though I did love every moment of it. Do you ache?” he asked, gently stroking the curls between her slightly spread thighs.

“Pretty sore, but I think I’d be kind of raw after that even if I hadn’t been a virgin. It was wonderful.” He pulled his hand away. “Ohhh, please don’t stop touching; that’s wonderful too.”

“Are you certain, kitten?”

“Yes, please.” She shivered as he replaced his hand and let his fingers drift between her folds to play gently at her entrance. “More, please,” she wheedled though her face tightened suspiciously.

“You’re finding that painful,” he accused.

“A little, but it feels more delicious than pained.” He groaned as he felt her hand, claws just slightly extended, cup his balls. “May I please have more, Loki?”

His cock was stiffening again and he shook his head at her hopeful expression. “You are impossible, woman.”

“I’m very possible, and easy…but only for you.”

A snort of disbelief had her smiling as he moved to his knees and moved down to give her a less intrusive pleasuring. A quick lick of her swollen flesh pulled a gasp from her that was oddly satisfying. “Not what you had in mind, hmm? Too bad; I do what I want and you’ll take what I give you.”

“Yes, Loki,” Kat agreed in a suspiciously cheerful tone.

His Jötunn side was reveling in the taste of their fluids and he lapped them up greedily before lashing her neglected clit with his tongue. She shivered at the cold touch and moaned as he continued enjoying her response. Sliding a finger into her canal he carefully moved it in and out, using a bit of power to soothe the ragged flesh left behind from her deflowering. Her back arched and her moan edged up into a whine as he sucked her clit and began thrusting two fingers into her now far less tender entrance. His mating urge seemed to have quieted; he had no idea why, but was going to use the opportunity and the returned control to make his lovely bride cum again. “Let go for me, love,” he told her before beginning to play with her quim in earnest.

Kat’s legs splayed open to give him free access and she shivered as he continued to suck her hot moist flesh into his cool mouth. A keening filled his ears as her back arched, opening her up further for full access. “Please, Loki,” she murmured. “I need you so much.”

Fresh lubrication was coating his thrusting fingers, her body’s proof that she did indeed want more. He chuckled and continued his assault on her clit, making her mewl with pleasure. Pulling his fingers from her center he lifted his head and used the slick digits to rapidly rub her swollen nub, keeping pressure on it all the while. Kat’s breath began to hitch and guttural moans urged him on until a series of staccato screams emerged accompanying repeated bursts of fluid from the flesh of her quim. Some of it he managed to drink down, more of it sprayed his face and chest. After one particularly strong burst, he relented and moved up her body to fuse their mouths together. Kat moaned as his tongue thrust within her small mouth as he shared her ejaculate. “I love you, my glorious slut,” he told her as he pushed her thighs back and seated his fully recovered member deep in her still swollen canal.

She whimpered a bit as he found a good rhythm, then moaned softly as he showed her that love with gentle thrusts, sweet caresses and tender kisses. Tears filled her bright eyes and slowly edged down the sides of her face as she reveled in his worship. Kat was quietly sobbing by the time they reached the peak of sensations and, this time, found their finish together, fully in sync. “I love you too, Loki,” she whispered as he came to a shuddering end, burying his face in her neck. “Always.”

Settling down beside her again, he stroked her soft cheeks. “I’ll get you cleaned up, darling. Hmm, and myself.” She nodded, smiling up at him sleepily as he shifted back to his preferred form and headed into the bathing chamber to retrieve the basin with water that he used a bit of power to warm and several soft cloths. “Have I finally worn you out?”

“Satiated, yes…you win again.”

“Ah, well; that was a foregone conclusion. I never make a bet I cannot win,” he told her as he carefully cleaned her ivory skin of the lovely mess they’d made and then ran a cloth over his own once again pale flesh. His shoulders still stung a bit where her claws had dug in, but the small wounds no longer bled. The Jötunn blood stained the cloth an interesting shade of purple he noted distractedly.

An adorable yawn seemed to catch her by surprise. “Think we both won,” she murmured.

“Yes, love; we did.” Laying down beside his weary bride, Loki let his hand drift around her neck. Such a slender neck she had, he could nearly encircle it with the one hand. He concentrated briefly and her bridal necklace appeared; the emeralds picking up the ambient lighting to glitter beautifully, much like her beloved eyes. “I think, within our chambers, you should wear this and only this,” he decided.

“Just the necklace?” her nose scrunched up as she gave him a rather aghast look.

“Hmm, no, you’re quite correct, it lacks something.” Loki held his free hand out and called another jeweled piece to him. “Do you like it?” he asked, displaying the diamond collar that boasted two emeralds at the front that were held by gold settings that allowed their individual symbols to rest atop the jewels. They were situated vertically; his was on top, of course. She nodded wordlessly as he stood.

“The last time I collared you I did so deceitfully because I had realized that I could not live without making you mine. This time you have made the choice to be my bride. I now ask you to make the choice to be my submissive, to love, care for, and protect. My Kat, my lovely Ka-Maat, will you kneel at my feet and take this symbol of my ownership to wear as a sign that you belong to me and only to me?”

He held his breath until his sweet kitten moved, sliding off the bed until she was literally kneeling on the floor. _“_ My heart, my mind, my body, my soul, I give all of myself to you; I trust you to care for me and keep me safe, and to love me as only you can do,” she said solemnly. Her eyes closed as he fastened the collar around her neck and her lips parted obediently for his kiss.

Scooping her up from the floor he frowned at the bed in consternation. “Hmm, I can’t put you back there; we’ve made quite the mess. Hold on, love,” he concluded as he shifted her so that her legs encircled his waist. Kat held on tightly as he pulled the sheets away, exposing the featherbed and then pulled the bedcover from where he’d earlier tossed it at the foot of the bed back over it. “That shall have to do. I can’t simply clean the sheets, they must be available for their barbaric ritual.” Laying her down on the now relatively clean bed he crawled in beside her and tugged her close. “Happy, love?” he asked.

“Totally.”

… …

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Skene’s Glands’ are also known as ‘The Female Prostate’. They’re located at the base of the urethra and likely is the anatomical entity that comes into play (pun fully intended) when one speaks of the semi-mythical ‘G-Spot’. Hard to hit during anal sex, but if the man is endowed enough and knows what he’s doing it is possible. Of course I have to write Loki as both!
> 
> Yes, the whipping was the harshness I warned of in the earlier note. While Kat may or may not be whipped again, depending on how she behaves during ‘playtime’, there will be other somewhat extreme BDSM scenarios happening in future chapters. If you’re not into that and can’t overlook it, you may want to say goodbye to this story. I will guarantee that there will still be consent by both Kat and Loki for anything BDSM related that happens between them (or with anyone else Loki chooses to include). Any nonconsensual anything by or with anybody will be dealt with harshly as was the case for Fandral’s attack on Kat…even if she decided he deserved some small bit of mercy because of his motivation.
> 
> And yes, I’ve decided this story will go AU only so far as the Thor movies are concerned. In this story, Iron Man 3, The Winter Soldier, and The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have all happened. The Dark World and any future Thor movie, not so much.
> 
> Almost forgot! A picture of Ka-Maat’s new collar can be found on my Tumblr, the user name is KieraPSI


	23. (There’s got to be a) Morning After

A slight breeze where there should be none woke him. Loki frowned and stared at the bed curtains rustling in a nonexistent wind. He was tired enough that the reason for it took several moments to penetrate the fog in his mind. “Mother,” he muttered and used a tendril of power to deactivate the soundproofing sigil and send an equally subtle response that her warning had been received. He reached over to ensure that Kat’s nudity was fully covered by the bedspread as a tentative knock sounded on the chamber door. Tugging the spread on his side over his lower half, he sighed. Their respite from tradition was over. “Wake up, love; we’re about to have company,” he told Kat softly with a gentle kiss to her cheek.

“Already?” she grumbled. “It’s early.”

“Come in,” he called out before turning back to her. “Judging by the light from the windows, it’s well past midday. We didn’t retire until late evening and were awake until just before dawn.”

“It’s late afternoon, my dears,” Frigga said with a smile as she peeked around the door. “I regret disturbing you, but…”

“The sheet is on the floor, mother. It was far too messy to sleep upon.” Loki smirked as Frigga’s eyes widened upon seeing the pile of fluid stained silk.

“Good gracious, however did you manage…never mind, I do _not_ wish to know.” She frowned as she lifted a corner and a purplish smear was exposed. “I don’t understand.”

Loki shrugged. “Apparently Jötunn blood is rather purple when it hits the air.”

“You…she…ah, I-I see.”

“What do you see?” Isis said as she entered behind Asgard’s Queen. The goddess’s dark eyes were filled with concern, though she looked at Kat rather than the silk sheet.

“As you’re aware, I am not Æsir, not really. I can take Jötunn form and did so when I claimed my bride,” he told her, his chin raised slightly in challenge.

Isis looked at the blood and fluid stained sheets and then back at Kat as she sighed. “Still having trouble keeping your claws retracted daughter?”

The blush in his Kat’s cheeks deepened. “Um, yes.”

“Ah, well; your husband is durable enough to survive it with little harm, I expect. And you, have you been harmed?”

Loki’s eyes narrowed. That had not been an idle question. Somehow the Kemet knew. “No,” Kat told her and surprisingly he heard no lie in her voice. “This time I more than wanted to lose my virginity.”

“What?” he gasped. “This time?” Did this have something to do with her fear of men with knives?

“The first time around I wasn’t really sure I wanted to go all the way with that particular guy, but I got caught up in the moment and well, it was really disappointing. This time it was special.”

“Ah.” No, he’d have to get to the bottom of the knife incident another time. “Then I am honored, my love.”

“Thank you,” she whispered and leaned close so that he could embrace her. “I’m fine,” she said, turning her face back to her goddess mother. “Nothing happened that I didn’t want.”

Also not a lie, he mused, making a mental note to ask her about it later. He was certain she hadn’t enjoyed being whipped; his love was no masochist. “I’m not certain what to do about my blood on the sheets. It might not go over well considering. I was surprised there was no mention of my heritage during my sentencing.”

“Asgard as a whole has not been told. Odin is awaiting a response from Jötunheim before any such announcement is made. His council is aware, of course, and Thor’s close friends, but the others know only that you are not our son by birth and that you are not fully Æsir,” his mother told them. “We do not have to show them that section of the cloth. Eir will join us shortly, then the portion of the cloth stained with Ka-Maat’s blood will be displayed over the balcony rail as is traditional and she will use her power to confirm that it is blood from your lady’s breaching and that will be that.”

“It’s barbaric foolishness; no child of mine can take the Throne so what matter is it if she came to me a virgin?”

Frigga smiled, no, smirked at him. “Odin has not taken you out of the succession. Should Thor die prematurely or abdicate, you would one day sit Hliðskjálf.”

He snorted. “Do you think it wise to tell me that? Does the All-Father not fear that I’ll take Thor’s life to take his crown?”

Isis was smirking now too, damn her hide, as Frigga answered. “No, my son. We all know very well that if you had any true wish to end Thor’s life that he would already abide in Valhalla awaiting Ragnarök.”

… …

Kat hid a grin as Loki gaped at his mother in surprise. She kind of agreed, but knew better than to stick her two cents in on this discussion. “Um, can we have some privacy to get dressed?” Hopefully that would change the subject.

“Of course, dear,” Frigga replied. “We’ll await Eir in your salon.” Isis winked at her as the two queens left the room, the sheets bundled between them.

“We don’t have to go out on the balcony with them, do we?” she asked Loki.

“Thank the Norns, no. However, we shall be expected to attend a formal dinner where toasts will be made to your new status as a married woman.” He glowered in the general direction of their outer door. “You’ll likely be required to sit in a gilded chair and Thor will hold Mjölnir in your lap.”

“Okaaay, why?”

“It’s often done on the wedding night, but since we did not do so then, I’m certain the people will wish to see it tonight. It’s a tradition, supposedly to ensure fertility.”

“ _Great_ , and yes, that was sarcasm,” she added as his eyebrows lifted. “Huh; since you did fix everything in that area, I wonder how difficult it would be for us to have a baby together considering the genetics.”

Kat didn’t miss Loki’s wistful expression though he tried to hide it. “Would you wish to bear our child, love?”

“Well, yes, eventually.”

“Why eventually?”

She laughed as his eyes narrowed and wrapped her arms around his waist so that she could get close enough to rub her cheek against his chest. “Wouldn’t you like to have a lot more fun with your toy before we have to kind of restrict ourselves to careful lovemaking to protect a developing baby?”

“Ah, a very good point indeed.”

… …

Frigga smiled at the gathering as Eir’s power confirmed that the bloodstains they displayed were from Ka-Maat’s breaching. The expected ribald comments didn’t faze her but she noticed Isis’s jaw tightening. “Still so uncivilized,” the Kemet murmured.

“I agree. I do try to keep this sort of thing to a minimum, unfortunately with little success. A royal marriage or even a noble one happens so infrequently that it is difficult to change traditions. At least the commons no longer put their children through such.”

“Are we done here?”

“Nearly so.” She lifted a hand in acknowledgement to the crowd and made a brief comment about looking forward to grandchildren before nodding to Isis and reentering Loki and Ka-Maat’s chambers. Knocking on the door to the bedchamber as Eir continued on out of the suite, she waited for an acknowledgement, opening the door only when it was made. “You have two hours to bathe and dress before court. Do not be late, today of all days.”

Loki sighed. “We’ll do our best.”

That, she decided, was the closest to a promise she could expect from him. “It would please me greatly if you arrive on time,” she added for emphasis as she rejoined Isis and they left the couple alone once more.

… …

Kat giggled as Loki dropped to his knees before her, smiling widely with his hands cupping the generous and freshly bathed cheeks of her buttocks. “Yes, I must insist you always leave your quim bare of clothing,” he told her. “Else how will I do this at every opportunity?” Her giggle escalated into a shriek as he buried his mouth between her folds and nipped the bud of her clitoris.

“Loki! We’re going to be late.”

He shrugged, nudged her legs further apart, and licked down into her slit, capturing the moisture that was already in evidence. She tried to pull back and he slapped her backside in warning before thrusting his tongue in and out of her still somewhat swollen canal. The moan this elicited was every bit as delicious as the fluids that now prepared her for more vigorous use. “They should consider themselves fortunate that I plan for us to attend at all.” He glanced up to enjoy the sight of her bountiful breasts heaving under her bridal necklace. It did set them off beautifully, he thought. A golden kirtle performed much the same function of the corsets she favored, lifting those glorious mounds and presenting her large firm nipples for his enjoyment. Another smile emerged and he stood long enough to move them over to an ottoman. Once he was seated, he spread her legs further yet and pulled her down on his eager staff. Kat moaned again and leaned back on his arms presenting those tempting nipples perfectly. “Beautiful,” he told her before taking one in his mouth.

Suckling deeply, he savored the texture as it swelled and lengthened under his attentions. “Sweet goddess, Loki, how I love that,” Kat murmured. Her soft whimpers encouraged him to continue even as he used his grasp on her body to rock her slightly back and forth on his erection. A sharp bite to the left nipple drew a squeal from her throat and he chuckled as he captured the other with the intent to make it equally swollen. “They’re going to be visible through my dress if you keep doing that, you know.”

Ignoring her comment, he savored his prize, tugging and nibbling away as her rocking shifted his attention to his now straining cock. “Absolutely,” he agreed as he released her sweet breast. “And you shall smell of sex; appropriate for a newly bedded bride.” He pulled her from her impaled position and turned her over on her knees at the edge of the cushioned platform. She moaned as he reentered her from behind and reached beneath to take a punishing grip on her swinging breasts as he began to pound that wet clinging quim.

Kat’s moans were interspersed with giggles as he took her with an eye toward a fast and furious completion. He truly had intended to comply with his mother’s request, but Kat’s lush body had simply been irresistible, particularly enhanced as it had been once she’d donned the jewelry and foundation garment after their rather long and enjoyable bath. He’d have to insist that his lovely toy bathe him more often; she’d done such a wonderful job of getting him even dirtier before he’d directed her to actually get on with the task he’d assigned. “By the Nine, Kat; you could tempt even a sworn celibate to fornication.” Her laughter brought yet another smile to his lips and he abandoned her breasts to bring both hands down sharply on her creamy ass cheeks then admired the pinkness that stained them. “You love that so; your quim tightens around me ever so sweetly when I spank you.” He alternated striking each cheek repeatedly, savoring that tightening and turning the entirety of her backside a bright red and dragging pleasured moans from his lady’s throat. Oh, that lovely throat, currently adorned with both her bridal necklace and his collar. A few more hard thrusts in her quim had her cumming hard, her fluids gushing out over his cock and her thighs.

“Loki!” she screamed, her body shuddering. “So good!” Loki pulled away and turned her quickly around and filled her gaping mouth with his burgeoning erection. Her squeal was cut off as he thrust in deep and hit the back of her mouth and forced himself further in until her throat opened to the intrusion. Kat gagged and her eyes rolled back in her head, but her hands took hold of his hips for balance and she forced herself to take him even deeper by swallowing.

“Damnation, love! Never has there been a woman such as you,” he praised. He began a quick rhythm of thrusting, knowing their time was short, and she gagged with each intrusion. Her fingers dug into his thighs now and he could feel the prick of her not quite fully retracted claws. Absolutely worth it, he thought as the pleasure spiraled through his groin. Kat was moaning around the girth of his cock and tremors took possession of his body as his orgasm built. One small hand left his thigh and a moment later he felt a wet finger prodding at his anus. Shifting slightly, he spread his legs enough to give her access and groaned as first one and then two fingers forced their way in hard and fast to thrust in time with each pull back from the depths of her mouth. His vision dimmed as a violent orgasm crashed through him and he pulled her face tight against his groin for the last few hard thrusts as he spilled his seed down her throat. “My perfect slut,” he said as he dropped down on the ottoman and pulled her close. “I could never love another after having you.”

… …

Bastet glared at the seats that were _finally_ occupied by Ka-Maat and her godling. They’d arrived late, the pair of them smirking and laughing as they clung to each other. Asgard’s King had given them a censorious frown but Queen Frigga had smiled indulgently. Her niece was a foolish girl who had no clue she was being used. “She answered me honestly,” Isis told her, evidently feeling her disdain. “He did nothing she did not want.”

She favored her elder with a derisive sniff. “Perhaps she is too young to know what is good for her.”

“I don’t know, sister,” Sekhmet said, tapping a claw tipped finger to her chin. “They look blissfully happy together.”

“Humph. Only until such time as he shows her his true colors and settles into a pattern of abuse.” She shot a glare at Isis who was choking on laughter. “It is not amusing; you know how men are.”

“Not all men, Bastet, and I am not laughing at your prediction. Our godling is a good portion Jötunn and did indeed show his true colors, the blue of lapis-lazuli with carnelian red eyes, last night.”

“Still you jest.” She shrugged. “You will be the one to pick up the pieces when your daughter comes to you with a broken body and heart.”

Isis’s face sobered. “That shall only happen if they do not prevail against Thanos and the godling loses his life. He would die himself before allowing the Titan to harm his love, I am most certain of this.”

Bastet shuddered and eyed her sisters. “Should they not defeat him we shall have to lift the veil and use the Path of the Gods to return to the House of Geb.”

“Yes, along with the gods of Asgard. I do not wish this to come full circle; these children must be given all they need to achieve victory. We shall each need to take a hand in their training before we return home. Sekhmet, you shall share your knowledge of warfare with Loki and tutor Ka-Maat in direct combat. Your skill at cunning and protection shall be your gift to them both, Bastet. I shall tutor Loki in the higher magical arts; he has a good grounding with the knowledge he has acquired from Frigga and her library. To my daughter I will teach the instinctual arts, she has not the time to learn established sorceries.”

“I will start with teaching her how to use her field of protection,” she told them. “Then when _I_ am proven correct, Ka-Maat will put the godling on his knees.”

Sekhmet snorted. “Seems to me she has him there already.” When Bastet followed her gaze she saw Loki down on a knee adjusting Ka-Maat’s footwear while caressing his wife’s leg. Huffing in disgust Bastet returned her attention to the once again far too heavy meal.

… …

Thor frowned as he glanced at his sister-by-marriage. Somehow her dress had been dampened and it clung to the hard points of her breasts. Loki’s smirk when their eyes met told him just how that had happened. “Do you not think you degrade your wife,” he asked softly.

“Not at all; I merely give others a small taste of her magnificence.” Thor shook his head as his frown deepened. “Oh come now, brother; do you claim that you do not envy me my prize?”

Loki didn’t use a disparaging tone on the word brother and that heartened him enough to think about his answer. The younger prince had always been put in a position to envy him…and look where that had gotten them. He _did_ envy Loki his happiness, and the woman _was_ a voluptuous beauty. While she wasn’t Jane and did not hold his heart, his manhood did stir at the sight and thought of Ka-Maat’s blatant sensuality. “You have won a prize worth envying, my brother. She is not only beautiful, but her heart cleaves only to you. I am not such a fool as to not wish I had such a woman for my own and was permitted to wed her.”

“Even so.” Loki shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable and as though he searched for words. That was unusual to say the least. “Mother tells me that before I was sentenced you offered to give up your pursuit of Jane Foster if Odin would approve my marriage to Kat and allow us to be together.”

“For all the good it did, aye.”

“He did not accept that offer, so you are not bound by it, but…I thank you for that. I know that your heart has never been set on anyone before, and to even offer to give the woman up; well, I could not have done such for you. You are truly the better man.”

“Were I the better man, my brother; things would never have come down to this. I allowed my friends to belittle you; I laughed at their japes and allowed them to choose activities that would most times force you to fail. Had I been a good man and a good brother I would have put a stop to it. I did not, but I like to think I’ve grown, finally, to manhood.”

Loki chuckled. “You have; I suppose Jane Foster is responsible for this sudden maturity?”

“She and her friends; Lady Darcy’s taser may have made an impression as well.”

“I must meet this Darcy person; I cannot get the image of you writhing on the ground at the hands of a mortal out of my mind. She deserves a reward for that.”

Thor grinned; were Loki to speak to Darcy Lewis as he did to most mortals, he’d likely be the one writhing on the ground. “Indeed, brother; you should meet her at the first opportunity.” His mirthful expression fell. “That opportunity may take some arranging. Father is sending his First Councilor with us to Midgard. Lady Jane and her friends will not be permitted access to us if father has his way.”

The smirk on Loki’s lips deepened and his eyebrows rose. “It should take little effort between us to see that we have our way, my brother, should we stand together.”

Raising his mug to meet Loki’s he tapped them together in a pledge. “We shall stand together, my brother.”

… …

“Your son needs be schooled in propriety,” Odin muttered to his lady. Her eyebrows rose even as her lips turned down. “Look at how he dishonors his bride.”

Though they were not related and shared no features, nor even coloring, the upward cant of one brow accompanied by the quirking of the same side of her mouth was the mirror of the expression currently worn by their wayward adopted son. “ _My_ son is an expert in social mores as well you know. When he chooses to flout them, it is with deliberation. He is emphasizing that Ka-Maat is as foreign as he is and that our people should not expect them to follow their customs or rules.”

“He is a Prince of Asgard as she is now our Princess. She should not be seen as a…as a…hussy.”

Frigga turned and fixed a baleful glare upon him. “Yet you tolerate Lady Amora’s attire. Why is that?”

“It is not the same thing at all; Amora is a sorceress.” He knew it was the wrong thing to say even as the last word left his mouth.

“And that automatically makes anything she does respectable? Yet Loki cannot be respected when he follows even the narrowest of paths. Your prejudice is showing, my lord.”

“The sorcery he wields is not meant for a man, it is…”

“ _It is in my birth realm_. Will you tell Frey that his sorcery is effeminate?” She huffed in annoyance at his wince. “I thought not. Your power can be used only for warfare. My son’s sorcery is multi-faceted and you, all of you, hate and belittle it out of sheer jealousy.”

“That has naught to do with him displaying his bride in the manner of a strumpet,” he hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

“Your attitude has everything to do with it. You all choose to show him disdain, he does all he can to deserve it; have you learned nothing?” Her plaintive tone held an undercurrent of despair.

It saddened him; he loved Frigga, he had since the first day they’d met when he came to their court to be introduced to her sister Freya, the Vanir princess his father had arranged for him to marry. And she’d loved the baby he’d brought back to her from the Great War in Jötunheim; perhaps too much. “Frigga, this is not just about your… _our_ son; think of the girl. She will not be respected if he continues in this vein.” He needed the chit to be respected. There would likely be a point where the people of Asgard would need to stand up to a great enemy and this Midgardian-born Kemet would have to help Thor rally them since Loki had more or less ensured that he could not.

“You do not see ahead, yet you plan ahead,” his dear lady muttered, staring off into the distance as she did when her Seer’s gift came into play. A heavy sigh emerged. “Very well; I shall speak to them.”

… …

His Kat frowned as Frigga drew them aside; his mother’s expression was strained. “My dears,” she began and then faltered, seeming to search for words. “Loki; I understand your intent with Ka-Maat’s attire, but it is unseemly.”

“You mean Odin is offended,” he sneered.

“No; I mean exactly what I say. I know that you care not what the people of Asgard think of you but you should care what they think of your lady. She may one day need their good will. While she’s made an excellent start of ensuring it with her mercy to Fandral, this…” the queen’s voice trailed off again and her eyes darted to where the dampened bodice clung to Kat’s nipples. “This is a slap in their collective face. My son, you may feel your cause is lost and I know you tell yourself that you no longer care; but Ka-Maat can have the respect that you do not currently enjoy and that would benefit both of you.”

Loki’s mouth twisted as he let both the words and his mother’s intent sink in. Though she spoke the truth, there was more she did not say. “You’ve seen the necessity, hmm?” As usual, she smiled gently but otherwise gave no other response. “Very well; I shall be more circumspect.” A wave of his hand over Kat’s ample bosom caused the material to dry and loosen, disguising her almost always hard nipples. A more genuine smile emerged as he looked his lovely bride over. “Your charms will be mine and only mine to enjoy,” he told her. Her eyebrows rose as his mother gave them each a brief hug before returning to the feast. “Until I decide to share you with someone,” he whispered into Kat’s elegantly adorned ear.

His shameless love pressed in against his side and wrapped her arms about his waist with a soft chuckle. “I’m looking forward to it,” she whispered back.

… …

Kat groaned as she picked herself up off of the hay covered ground of the training arena. After nearly a week of instruction and practice she was not doing well employing either the field of protection Bastet was attempting to teach her or the combat techniques she was supposed to be learning from Sekhmet. “This isn’t working,” she muttered.

“You are not using your gifts, daughter,” Isis told her from the spot where she was perched on what looked remarkably like the blocking sleds football teams used for training. How she’d gotten up on the small padded upright portion and how she was balancing there without a care in the world, Kat didn’t understand.

“I’m trying. I still can’t get the protection to cover myself, let alone extend. Why can’t I feel it?”

Bastet was leaning on the upright next to Isis’s dangling legs. “It is not a matter of tangible sensing; you must simply _know_ it is there.”

“But I _don’t_ know it’s there; if it was there, Sekhmet wouldn’t have been able to toss me across the arena…right?”

“Wrong,” the third of the Kemet goddesses that now comprised her (re)birth family growled. “I still could throw you, however you would not have taken injury from it.”

“Isn’t that good to know,” she muttered sarcastically.

“That’s enough,” Isis snapped. “The mastery of your gift from Bastet will come in time; I was speaking of the gifts you held as a mortal.”

What gifts? Sure, she could use the energy healing to heal the bruises and scrapes but…oh, crap. Rolling her eyes at her own denseness she turned back to Sekhmet. “Okay, let’s try that again.”

“Are you certain, child?” the half-shifted goddess asked, her voice guttural coming from a lioness’s jaw.

“Yes, bring it on.”

Sharp fangs gleamed as the goddess pounced…and landed hard on an empty patch of hay strewn dirt with an audible huff of breath. The leonine head turned and stared at her in surprise. “Very nice. How?”

Kat grinned. “I used my other gift to see your attack a split second before you launched it. I was a very good psychic back home.”

Isis gracefully dropped from her perch. “Now apply that gift and your ability to manipulate energy to what my sisters seek to teach you. I must check on how your husband is progressing with the exercises in high sorcery that I gave him.

Kat turned to Bastet. “Can you show me the protection field again?” The goddess nodded and this time Kat looked at her in the same way she would look at a client who was complaining of an illness or injury. Bingo. As she watched the goddess wove energy from each of the seven major chakras into a net-like construct that quickly enveloped her body. While it looked as though all of the chakras were drawn upon equally, as the net settled, the yellow of the solar plexus and red of the base chakras dominated the whole. That made sense; the solar plexus governed reaction times and the base chakra provided strength to the whole energetic body. She closed her eyes to concentrate and opened them quickly and stepped backward as she saw Sekhmet’s next pounce in her mind’s eye. “I know I won’t have time to do this in a battle, but for just this once, give me a bit to concentrate on it.”

“Very well.”

It took several long minutes, but she finally figured out the pattern of the energy flow. “How do you get the weave to be so tight?” she asked Bastet.

The goddess shrugged. “Through my will; I want it to be so, therefore, it is so.”

“Not helpful,” she muttered. It was particularly not helpful since Kat was possessed of a mindset that handed her will over to another on a regular basis. But this wasn’t sex. In her practice as a priestess and as a healer she had to be not only in control, but powerful. She had to be to cast shielding to protect clients from negative energy. Crap. “I am _such_ an idiot.” The two sister goddesses snickered at her. “It’s not that funny,” she complained.

“On the contrary, dear one,” Bastet returned with a fond smile. “Your impatience with yourself is quite amusing.” After a few days of watching them with narrowed eyes and making snide comments, Bastet seemed to be finally warming up to her relationship with Loki. The contrast in attitude was startling…and suspicious. “Why are you suddenly okay with me?”

Bastet’s winged brows rose. “I have never had a problem…”

“Oh, please. You’ve been glaring daggers and giving me pitying looks since the wedding. What changed?”

“She’s observant,” Sekhmet huffed in a grudging tone.

Bastet stared at her out of wide eyes, her cat-like pupils dilating. “You criticized your godling and he did naught but sigh.”

Kat thought back to anything she could have said. “Do you mean when Loki got pissy about screwing up that working Isis taught him and I told him to put on his big boy pants and deal with it?”

“Yes; quite insulting you were.”

She snickered. “Not really. He was being childish and he knew it. What did you think he’d do?”

The goddess shrugged; she seemed uncomfortable. “He is violent and he has struck you before.”

“Oh for…only when I wanted him to; it was kind of a sexual play type of thing. I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with a millennia-old goddess. Haven’t all of you seen pretty much everything under the sun by now?”

“You must have more respect for yourself.”

“I have lots of respect for myself. I allow myself to have what I need, what I enjoy. I don’t deny myself pleasure with someone who loves me and who I trust just because someone else thinks it’s not pleasurable. Being vanilla,” she hesitated when Bastet’s nose scrunched up in confusion. “Conforming to what everyone else expects and deems normal would be disrespecting my own desires and needs. I’m sorry if you don’t understand that, but that’s the way I am and that’s the way I’m going to continue to be.”

Soft clapping made her spin in place. Sif stood at the entrance to the arena with Hogun at her side. The warrior goddess had her sword in its sheath and had set her shield down against the gate to applaud. “Well said. No wonder you tolerate Loki so well; I’d wager you could put even him in his place.”

“When he deserves it, absolutely.” She turned back to the two Kemet. “I think I have the protection field down; Sekhmet, would you attack me one more time?”

… …

Loki grimaced as the glowing construct collapsed in upon itself once more. “Not good enough,” he muttered and then slumped on the table he was using as a seat. “Nothing I do is ever good enough.”

“Don’t be foolish, son.” He stiffened, more at Odin’s use of the familial term than at being called foolish. He was well used to the latter. “This sorcery is far more complex than any used anywhere in the Nine Realms. Tis to your credit that you come so close to mastering it.”

Wait; had that been a compliment? From the All-Father? He looked up cautiously. Odin’s expression was even and serious. There was not so much as a hint of mocking in it. Not only that; both the words and tone rang true to his gift. “Coming close will do me no good should the Titan find us.”

The elder god’s sigh was deep. “You will not believe this, but I have faith in you.” Loki’s eyebrows rose as Odin’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. “As I thought. You have just begun using this branch of power, Loki. Remember you the time it took to learn the different paths that you have already mastered?” Loki nodded though he was surprised that the All-Father had paid that much attention to his study of what the old bastard had oft called an ‘unmanly art’. “How much more quickly do you learn this path, hmm?”

“Not quickly enough. I cannot get it to hold together.” He frowned at the man he’d called father for so many centuries. “Time is of the essence.”

“The sorcery of the Kemet works differently than that of the Æsir, the Vanir, the Álfar, or even the Jötnar. All of those share the same roots.”

“Yggdrasill.”

“Indeed. You see the problem, my son?”

Pressing the heel of one hand against his forehead he groaned. “Yes; I’ve been treating it as any other sorcery. I cannot draw on the power of Yggdrasill to power a working not born of her. I need to speak with Isis.”

Odin nodded. “This time listen as she tells you of their history. Yggdrasill is _our_ history; you will find the source of their power in theirs.”

Loki watched, his mouth slightly open, as the All-Father walked away. “Father?” He pressed his lips closed, waiting for the old man to stop and turn…to even acknowledge that he’d returned the familial form of address. A snow white brow lifted over the sole visible eye. “Thank you.” With a nod, Odin continued on out of the sorcery guild practice hall.

… …

“Midgard herself,” Isis told Loki in answer to his question about the root of the Kemet’s power. For once the boy was listening patiently as she imparted knowledge. “The harmonics of the planet’s magnetic field power our sorceries. That was what drew us there back in the beginning. Their alien conspiracy theorists are not so far off when they connect the Great Pyramid, The Bermuda Triangle, and other locations. That funny little man, what is his name, my daughter?” Ka-Maat stared at her blankly. Isis sighed. “I speak of the man who hails from your country who has a Greek name and odd hair.”

“Oh. Giorgio something; I never was any good at remembering things I couldn’t pronounce. He pops up on all of the history and ancient mystery cable TV shows. The guy’s a bit off.”

“No one needs to pronounce anything Greek,” Loki muttered.

“Regardless. The man is seen as a fool yet some of his theories are closer to reality than many think. Now; you are sensitive to planetary energy fields, Loki. Reach out to Midgard and find hers. That is what you shall use to power these workings.”

“Should I be using that too?” her daughter asked.

Isis chuckled. “You have been doing so throughout all of your many lives. Every time you ground and center, you are reaching for the energy that birthed you.”

“The Mad Titan is from the same system as Midgard, would he have defenses against workings powered by her energies?” the godling wanted to know.

“Not automatically, and he would only bother to build any if he considered humans a threat. So far as he is aware we have permanently closed ourselves off in Heliopolis and he believes that the Greeks you disparage so casually destroyed each other long ago.”

“He believes? I was told that while one _may_ still survive, they were otherwise all destroyed.”

“One of the original Olympians and a very few of their half-human offspring still lived last I bothered to look. My husband would have known if Hades had since passed; their power resonates each with the other as does Hel’s.” Loki stared at the floor looking thoughtful while tapping one long finger against his lips. “Yes, you should try to contact him,” she advised.

“I…of course.” He snorted softly. “You are as bad as my mother, or as good depending on one’s point of view.” The boy fell silent for a moment and then looked up with a sigh as he felt the weight of her regard. “Hel has my promise that I will do so.”

“Excellent. Ka-Maat, come with me. I will work with you on developing an instinctual defensive response to sorcerous attacks that Bastet’s field of protection cannot counter. Loki, I believe your practice will go far more smoothly once you learn to connect in to the energy of Midgard. Meditate on it until you do so.”

… …

“Shit.” Tony paced back and forth in the lounge of his tower where Phil Coulson and his pretty little hacker sat dispiritedly on a sofa. “I’m sorry to hear that; they seemed like nice k-uh young agents.” He was on his best behavior, he reminded himself and that meant respecting the hospitalized scientists and not referring to them as kids. For some reason he really didn’t get, that pissed most twenty-somethings off.

“Seems,” Skye said in a hoarse voice. “They’re still alive; they’re both going to make it.”

“Of course they are. Is there anything Stark Industries can do to help?” he asked Coulson. “Well, covertly; Pepper has to keep up the fiction that she’s cooperating with Hydra.” He gave the trio a wolfish grin. “Hydra is currently under the impression that I’m on an extended bender. Rhodey dropped by a few times to supposedly check on me and left making comments about being worried about alcohol poisoning to keep up the fiction.”

“Good idea, and very believable.” Tony frowned at Phil’s rejoinder, but told himself to get over it, after all, it had happened before. “I don’t think there’s anything we need for Agents Fitz-Simmons right now, but if we find we need any special equipment for their care and recovery I’ll have my people let you know,” Coulson promised.

“Good, that’s…good. So; what’s our plan?”

“We’re largely stalled until we hear from Rogers, Romanov, or May. Hill is embroiled in congressional meetings; other than the three of them and Billy Koenig, we’re on our own.”

“Not entirely. I ran into a blonde agent when I went looking for Rogers. She was very protective of Fury and told me where to take him for help. She was living in Roger’s building, keeping an eye on him. Pretty damn sure she’s clean.”

“What’s her name?”

“Uh, don’t know. The records I, uh, liberated referred to her only as Agent 13 and the last time we spoke, Stevearino only said his cute neighbor’s name was Sharon.”

“Agent May might know,” Phil mused.

Hacker-girl spoke up. “I can find out.”

“Doubtful. When Nick referred to an agent only by a number in the records he never cross-referenced it anywhere.”

“I don’t need a cross reference if I can do a facial recognition search. I’m sure Iron Man here has a recording of his encounter with her somewhere.”

Shit. Jarvis did record it, Tony remembered. “J, run a facial recognition scan for Agent 13, would ya, buddy?”

“Of course, sir.”

“I said I’d do it,” Skye muttered sullenly while Phil’s mouth tightened. Shit again. They were probably feeling as useless as he was about now.

“Once you’ve got the file of coarse matches, J, forward the data to Skye so that she can refine it. We’re gonna need human intuition on this one; I’m sure this agent is using multiple names and it won’t be easy to cough up the right one.”

“Agreed, sir. Miss Skye, what file format would work best for you?”

The girl brightened considerably, and look at that; Phil was actually cracking a grin. She walked over to the screen that Jarvis had activated for her. “Show me the options and we’ll take it from there.”

Phil nudged him and led him off in the opposite direction. “Thank you, Tony; that was uncharacteristically thoughtful of you. She’s badly needed a focus.”

“Hey, I can do thoughtful; It just has to occur to me.” He smirked at the typical ‘Phil’ look that Agent…or rather, Director gave him. “Let’s talk about Asgard; Rhodey let me know that the military has been alerted about Thor’s problem child and that Thor’s bringing a diplomatic party along with them. They’ve got a meeting scheduled at the White House. Rhodey's last visit was officially to tell me to sober the hell up in time for it.”

“Fine, let’s talk about Asgard.”

… …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “The House of Geb” is one of the terms the Kemet used for Earth. Geb was the god of the earth and he and Nut, the goddess of the sky, were the progenitors of the Kemetic gods. In other myth-related details, Sekhmet and Bastet were not technically Isis’s sisters, though they were each other’s sisters. They were, however, considered the daughters of Hathor, who was also sometimes identified as Isis-Hathor, particularly in later years. I’ve used artistic license and made them all sisters rather than mother and daughters. The "Path of the Gods" is a golden bridge through space that is basically the Kemet’s version of the Bïfrost.
> 
> If you haven’t already figured it out I’ve gone WAY off canon for the Egyptians. Marvel calls them the Ennead (the Greek name meaning ‘the nine’) rather than the Kemet. As with Asgard, I’ve gone with a combination of Marvel canon and actual myth; however with the Kemet, I’ve gone more heavily on the mythology than on Marvel canon. So…artistic license and all that jazz.
> 
> Giorgio A. Tsoukalos is the ‘funny little man’ Isis refers to. He is a self-proclaimed expert on alien influence on historical sites and events who is now hosting a cable TV show about different odd items and occurrences that may possibly be related to aliens. His theories aren’t that bad, but his breathless presentation generally makes them seem loonier than they are…and the hairstyle doesn’t help. My hubby is a cable TV junkie so I get exposed to this stuff on a regular basis. Don’t judge.


	24. Where has all the time gone?

The practice dummy was enclosed by a shimmering field as Loki connected tentatively with the energies of Midgard. The field was his Kat’s work. Once she’d realized that the energy that she’d been using all her life was the same energy she was now learning to use with greater skill her training had gone swimmingly. She could now build a field of protection separate from her own rather than simply extending the field she’d been gifted with by Bastet to others as that goddess had originally intended. “Are you ready, darling?” he asked.

“Sure; go for it.” Taking a firmer grasp on the energy he threw it at the field. The resulting explosion had him grabbing his shocked bride and pulling her behind a low wall. As they landed on the sandy ground of the arena he realized she was laughing. “We didn’t have to duck,” she told him when he frowned at her mirth.

“You could have been injured.”

“Um, no; field of protection, remember?” She gestured around them. Pieces of the wall littered the arena floor but none had touched them. “I guess it doesn’t protect inanimate objects, though. Well, at least not automatically. It’s probably good you grabbed me; you might have gotten hurt otherwise.”

He glared at the crumbled masonry. Scratched, likely, but not injured. “Why did it explode like that?” he asked his mentor.

“You focused all of the energy in the forward momentum of the attack rather than fully enclosing the energy with your will. When the irresistible force met the immovable object a shockwave was created. It is that which caused the destruction around you, not your attack,” Isis informed him.

Hmm, much like the devastation in the German forest when Mjölnir struck Captain America’s vibranium alloy shield. His lips twitched at the memory. Watching Thor be swept violently off of his feet by the incoming Iron Man that day had been the funniest thing he’d ever seen. That little display by the so-called ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ had been what had inspired him to use them to stop the Chitauri invasion. As they’d proven themselves the equal of Asgard’s entire army when they’d fought Thor he knew they’d be able to handle the Mad Titan’s minions. “Sorry,” he said to Isis when he realized she’d called his name several times. “Lost in thought. So I should surround the energy with my will, create a virtual container for it as it were, before using it in an attack?”

“Yes; that way if you have a target that can resist it, you still have the energy and can redirect it rather than waste time gathering energy all over again.”

“I understand; thank you.” He smiled fully as the Kemet’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He understood her reaction; she’d gotten both an apology and an expression of gratitude from him in mere moments of each other. That was more than she’d received in the entire two weeks of her visit.

… …

“Don’t fuss, mother,” Loki told her as she adjusted the lay of his cloak over his shoulders. “The mortals will be obsessed with the best way to kill me, not over the perfection of my wardrobe. Pity, that.”

She smacked his chest. “Do not say such things. They have agreed to accept Asgard’s judgment and welcome you and your lady wife as envoys.”

“The governments of Midgard agree to many things and break many agreements. If Ka-Maat’s training had not gone so well, I would not be in favor of traveling there.”

“I know. But it has, and yours as well. I am so proud of how well you’ve have learned the Kemet’s sorceries. Isis was also impressed.” Her favorite son gave a brooding glance towards the small group gathered around the First Councilor and Odin. “Even your father is proud of your prowess in their arts.”

“My father is dead, by my own hand as you may re…” he broke off as her palm struck his cheek. She flushed as her husband frowned at them, his attention caught by the sharp sound.

“Laufey may have sired you, but he was not your father; he left you to die,” she seethed.

“Allow him to deal with his anger in his own time, my lady,” Odin said as he approached. “Where is your bride, my boy?”

“Seeing her family off. I was not welcome to witness the working they will use to return to Heliopolis; apparently Heimdall is blind where they are concerned and they fear no other eyes upon it.”

“That speaks well of your mastery of their arts. If you knew the specifics of it, they believe you could duplicate it. Would Ka-Maat explain it to you?”

Frigga frowned. The girl just might; she all but worshipped Loki. “No, All-Father. Not unless she felt it would be the only thing that saved us.” Odin’s eyebrow rose. He too had been expecting another answer and so far as she could tell - and as a mother she usually _could_ tell, Loki spoke the absolute truth. “I do not believe they fear me, per se. They fear that I might be captured and that since the Titan has accessed my mind before, he might manage to do so again. I am not offended by their caution.”

“Do you believe the Titan can take you captive?” Though her husband spoke to Loki, he eyed her, wondering if she’d had a vision of such. She moved her head minutely to indicate that she had not. The tenseness in his shoulders relaxed.

“Should the Titan reach Midgard, I believe their governments would gladly hand me over in an attempt to protect their world. It would not occur to them that his word is worth even less than theirs.”

“Then they would forfeit Asgard’s good will and should begin to fear us rather than the Titan. We will hold them to their word, my son; Neriðr will make that _quite_ clear to them.”

… …

Tony had looked better. Hell, he’d looked better after a _real_ bender; but he was trying to make the government toadies believe that he was recovering from alcohol poisoning instead of working on the latest incarnation of his suit for seventy-two hours straight. A guilty twinge deep in his gut made him wince. “Don’t overdo it,” Rhodey whispered.

A crooked smile emerged. The wince was for breaking his promise to Pepper that he was done with the suits. After the Extremis fiasco, he’d pledged that he was done with being a superhero, done with the Iron Man technology, just done being anything but a Billionaire Philanthropist and Clean Energy Impresario. “Sun’s too bright,” he muttered just loud enough for the Secret Service agents to hear. Yeah, Secret Service. The POTUS was going to attend the official welcoming of the Asgardian Envoys and since S.H.I.E.L.D. was kaput for all intents and purposes, the Secret Service was swarming everywhere. They all stood near the large rune inscribed circle in the New Mexico desert, waiting for the damned rainbow bridge to open up. All but the POTUS, that is. President Ellis was still in his nice cool limo. Across from them that scientist who had been in the news, Jane Foster, was all but hopping up and down in excitement. Lover boy must be returning with his adopted brother, Tony guessed. A younger woman with messy dark hair, glasses and a rack almost as impressive as Kat’s stood casually, rolling her eyes at Foster’s antics. “Who’s that?” he sub-vocalized to Jarvis, His designer shades contained a communications array that hooked up with his personal satellite (personally deployed by himself in the Mark XXX, no less) and from there to Jarvis.

The AI hesitated before responding, no doubt employing his extensive access to worldwide databases to search for the girl. “Darcy Lewis, sir. Dr. Foster’s intern and friend. Thor Odinson also considers her a friend,” the ever reliable and slightly peevish voice advised.

“The one that tasered him? Oh, I’ve _got_ to meet her.” He straightened and headed across the hard packed ground.

“Tony? Where the hell are you going?” Rhodey hurried after him and Tony could feel dozens of pairs of eyes watching them.

“Miss Lewis?” he said with as charming a smile as he could muster, holding out his right hand. “Tony Stark; I hear we have something in common.”

Her mossy eyes widened behind the lenses. “Yeah? It’s not our bank accounts,” she said with a smirk as she looked over his custom made silk suit.

“Doubtful; unless interning for Dr. Foster pays a great deal more than Stark Industries pays our interns.”

“Wait, you pay your interns? Oh, man; I’m working for the wrong people.”

“Darcy! You get paid from the grant.” Foster was giving the girl an indignant look.

“Yeah, minimum wage for four hours a day, five days a week. How many hours did we put in already this week?” The (slightly) older woman muttered something inaudible. “I don’t think Mr. Stark heard you, Jane.”

“It’s Tony, please.”

The girl grinned and returned the slight squeeze he’d given her hand. “Thank you, Tony,” she almost purred. “So what do we have in common besides being out here ruining our good clothes with sweat in the back of beyond?”

“We’ve both put Thor on his godly ass.”

Darcy literally guffawed. The earthy young woman held nothing back and Tony idly wondered what she’d be like in bed. “Sweet! I used a taser, how’d you do it?”

“Flying full speed in my Mark VI Iron Man armor. Of course he then used that freaky hammer of his to hit me with a couple hundred thousand megawatt volts of lightning…I may be exaggerating the voltage slightly.”

“Yeah, well, he was kinda mortal when I tasered his fine ass. And Jane had hit him with the truck already.”

“Darcy we’ve talked about this.”

“Oh, come on. It was funny. It’s not like you hurt him any.”

“It’s still embarrassing.”

“No; embarrassing is waking up on your dorm room floor in the dress you went partying in the night before, covered in someone else’s vomit and not knowing what happened to your underwear.” Her face flushed red. “Um, which totally happened to my roommate.”

Tony grinned and slid an arm behind her back and spoke softly in her ear. “It’s worse when the woman it happened to isn’t your roommate and is in that condition on the floor of your private penthouse and you don’t remember if you’re the one who deprived her of said underwear, though you are pretty sure it’s your vomit.” He winked when she gaped at him. He knew there was no roommate in her story and she knew he knew it, but he was more than willing to help her pretend.

“You’re all right, Tony Stark. Not like I heard at all.”

“Somebody’s been talking smack about me? How rude.”

“Don’t speak ill of the dead, it’s bad luck. Well, that’s what my grandma used to tell me.”

“See what happens when you talk smack about me?”

“Mr. Stark,” Jane Foster interjected. “You’re every bit as rude as Agent Coulson told us. Leave the poor man rest in peace. He died on your watch.”

Huh, the scientist and her crew hadn’t been told the lie S.H.I.E.L.D. had concocted for the Avengers about how Coulson had survived the attack, or that he had survived at all, apparently. Hmm, did they need to know? Yeah, if he was going to be helping out the Asgardians they’d find out anyway considering that Thor had a serious thing for the too serious and quietly attractive physicist. “Actually, he didn’t. Die that is; S.H.I.E.L.D.’s been lying their collective ass off. I mean, he was mostly dead, but he’s still kicking, I’ve seen him myself.”

“Certain it wasn’t an alcohol induced hallucination?” Rhodey asked. Damn, he’d forgotten the man was behind him and he didn’t really need to know about Coulson. He turned to face his old friend who leaned in close and pretended to smell his breath as he whispered: “Tony, ixnay; no one’s supposed to know.”

Well, Rhodey already knew. “They do, man, they really do. I’m gonna hire Darcy to look out for Fandral. Can you think of a better candidate to get hi…her laid by the wrong element?” he murmured back. “And if they’re around me, they’ll run into him sooner or later.” He knew he had him when Rhodey sighed. “Ladies, meet Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, USAF. He’s been my keeper more often than he wants to remember. Of course he’s also a good friend though he probably doesn’t want to admit it. Oh, and he flies around in the War Machine armor I invented, another version of my Iron Man armor that he stole.”

“Appropriated because you were too blitzed to care. And it’s called the Iron Patriot armor now.”

“Stole, but that’s okay, I’ve made twenty versions since that were way better. War Machine is a far cooler name.”

“Unlike you, I have to obey orders I’m given, Tony, and my chain of command insists on it being called Iron Patriot,” Rhodey said heatedly.

“Whoa, guys!” Darcy interjected. “Don’t care here. We’ve got gods coming in. Tony, Jane says that Thor’s brother is coming with him, you’ve met him, is he as hot as Thor?”

He frowned. “I dig chicks, Darcy. Mostly. Uh, Loki is like Thor’s polar opposite, literally. That’s a Frost Giant joke,” he said as he elbowed Rhodey. “Get it?”

“I’m ignoring you.”

“Fine, your loss.” He turned back to Darcy. “Loki’s just a hair shorter than Thor and maybe half as wide and where Thunderpants is blonde and tan, Reindeer Games has inky black hair and pale skin.”

“So he’s skinny? Doesn’t sound very god-like.”

“Am I skinny? No, he’s lean, like a long distance runner.”

“Oh, okay. But is he good looking?”

“Hell if I know what women like these days besides money.” Tony pulled out his StarkPhone and hit a button. “J, give me that picture from the tower, the Chinese food on the couch one.” The still popped up showing Loki seated on the Corinthian Leather sofa, one leg folded, balancing a plate and staring into the distance while holding a dumpling in his chopsticks. “There you go. A picture is worth a thousand words; or five hundred when they’re my words.”

Darcy leaned over and stared at the phone while Tony stared down her cleavage. “Wow. Um, Jane? Look at this guy, will you? I mean, Thor’s hot and all, but this guy is beauteous.”

Jane Foster leaned in from his other side; she really didn’t have much worth displaying. Thor evidently wasn’t a boob man. “Looks like a high fashion model with those cheekbones,” she decided. “He’s probably gay.”

That deserved an eye roll. “He’s not gay. Last time I saw him he was pining for the love of his life who is most decidedly a woman; I’ve met her too.”

“Pining? She’s gone then? Cool; I can work with that.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Cupcake, but he got her back and she’s now a Princess of Asgard or so Point Break tells me.”

“He’s married? Well, crap. Does Thor have any other brothers? And yo, cool nickname for him, dude.”

“Thanks.” The girl knew clever ripostes when she heard them. “Uh, not that I know of. He does have friends up there. Which reminds me; how would you like an easy job that comes with a fully paid luxury apartment in the Big Apple, a modest salary and an expense account?”

The young woman’s eyes narrowed. “Sounds too good to be true. But, hey, I’m listening.”

… …

Loki examined the faces of the mortals who had come to greet them. Many were obviously security, but just as obviously were not of S.H.I.E.L.D., interesting. “Thor, where are your contacts from S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“I know not; the Man of Iron is here with his military friend, but even the other Avengers are absent. Tis most odd.” Yes, Stark was here, but that was it. At least _they_ had last parted on good terms. “Hmm, Jane is here as well. Councilor Neriðr will not be pleased; and oh, look. She has brought Darcy.”

Darcy, apparently, was a disheveled young woman with poor vision and ‘assets’ that, in this gathering, only his own dear lady surpassed. There must be more to her than met the eye for her to have taken his brother down, powers withheld or not. “As they are with Stark, he will have little to say in the matter; we need Stark to deal with Fastný.”

“True.” They looked back at the remainder of the group that had followed them through the Bifröst. A pair of guards flanked the ill-at-ease blonde woman formerly known as Fandral the Dashing. They’d decided to call her Fastný, as Fandral was always known for his quickness and his current form was certainly new. The surname would be up to Tony Stark and his contacts. “Believe you that Stark will do right by Fan…ah, Fastný, my brother?”

“There is a bit of the mercenary in Tony Stark’s soul,” Loki told him. “I believe he is quite looking forward to what he may ask of Asgard in exchange for discharging this duty well. I have no concerns, nor did our mother.”

“A man like him will consider it a matter of pride,” Kat said as she took the hand he’d held out for her. “Councilor Neriðr is dealing with minor bureaucrats; this is probably the best time to go talk to them if that’s what you guys want.”

“She’s right, brother,” he told Thor. “Shall we?” The big oaf chuckled and strode across the red hued ground. “Hmm, we’d best stick with him, kitten. No telling what gaffes he’d manage without us.”

“Yeah, but it looks like he’s scaring the Secret Service, Loki,” she pointed out as she hurried along with him.

“Thor, slow down,” he called out in their own tongue, avoiding the All-Speak. “The mortals take alarm at your haste.” He shook his head at the rueful expression that creased the blonde’s face. “Really, you’ve dealt with them oft enough; surely you realized they’d panic?”

“I’ve not dealt with any of these, brother. They do not wear the uniform of my allies here.” They caught up with him and continued towards Stark and his companions at a sedate pace. Tony, with the two women and his military friend trailing behind, moved to meet them. “Tony, my friend,” Thor called out in the All-Speak now as they drew closer together. “What have I not been told? I do not know these people.”

Stark ignored him and looked Kat over. Typical of the man. “Wow; you’re looking fantastic, looks like resurrection agrees with you.”

“Not funny, Stark,” Loki warned.

“No, I guess it’s not.” The man gave them a penitent look. “Sorry, my manners are usually worse.” Kat giggled at his honesty. “Really, you do look amazing. Um, but not, uh…”

“Human?” she suggested.

“Yeah, that. Sorry.”

“That’s okay, Tony. I’m coming to terms with it. So what’s going on? Thor was dealing with something called S.H.I.E.L.D. and by the badges, these folks are Secret Service.”

“Uh, S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated by a bad element and when they tried to take over, the whole mess kind of self-destructed. That’s actually a good thing because if Hydra, the bad guys, had succeeded, we’d have an even bigger mess than we do. The Avengers are kind of scattered as a result. Cap and Hawkeye are missing, Romanov is stuck testifying in Congressional committees, which is a joke as she’s not telling them a damn thing they didn’t already know, Bruce is hiding out with me, and I just broke a gazillion promises to Pepper who left me, again. Probably permanently this time, though she’s still my CEO.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she murmured.

“As am I,” Loki agreed. “Is there aught we can do?”

“Nah, cool of you to offer, though. We’re actually much better as friends and business partners than as romantic partners. Damn shame all of the interesting women are either taken or are too young for me.”

Loki noted the billionaire’s quick glance at Darcy. She was definitely too young for the man, and possibly too…unrefined. At least for a serious relationship. While Kat was free and wild in the bedroom, she was quite sedate anywhere else unless he asked her to be otherwise for his enjoyment. This girl…likely not. “You need a more mature woman for a romantic partner, and Thor holds this girl in some degree of fondness so I would suggest you do not seek her out for a short affair.”

“My thought exactly.” The rogue glanced over his shoulder as the women closed the gap between them. “But damn, Lokes, is she hot, or what?” he whispered.

“I’m not certain, but then, I have Ka-Maat as my basis for comparison.”

“Huh, true.” He turned. “Ladies, allow me to introduce you; well, to Thor’s family, you already know him.”

“Not as well as Jane would like to,” Darcy snarked.

“Darcy!”

“Oh, come on, I had to listen to you whine for over two years, I get to tease you about it.”

“Fine,” the scientist muttered.

“Yeah, anyway; ladies, this is Prince Loki of Asgard and his wife, Princess Ka-Maat. Am I saying that right?” Loki nodded and the billionaire grinned and continued. “Loki, Ka-Maat, this is Dr. Jane Foster, astrophysicist extraordinaire – the scientist who theorized your bridge thingee before we ever knew it existed and Darcy Lewis, the hottest intern on the planet.”

Loki bit back a groan. Stark was digging a hole for himself, and a deep one at that based on the young woman’s expression. “The most kick-ass intern,” the girl corrected with a patently false sweet smile.

Kat chuckled. “So we’ve heard. Thor’s been regaling us with tales of how you all met.”

… …

Jane stared at the tall dark-haired prince. This was the man who destroyed Puente Antiguo and had their research interrupted when they were dragged off to Europe for their supposed safety so that she missed Thor’s last visit to Earth. Not to mention he was the man who trashed Manhattan. Her hand had fisted and was flying up toward his jaw before she could suppress the impulse. His head snapped to the side as she connected; her mouth was moving even as her mind was registering incredible pain in her knuckles. “That’s for New York,” she spat and then surreptitiously rubbed the fingers of her right hand with those of the left to check for broken bones and then to try and get some feeling back in them.

Everyone stared at them as two of the Asgardians and several members of the Secret Service hurried over looking alarmed. Much to her surprise, Loki grinned. “I like her,” he said to Thor.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Thor managed with a stunned expression.

Sharp green eyes narrowed slightly as they turned back to her. “That said, don’t do it again. If I hadn’t seen it coming and pulled away as you struck, you would have shattered your fingers. That’s a difficult injury to heal even on Asgard.”

“Fine,” she mumbled. “Just wanted to make it clear where we stand.”

Tony Stark burst out laughing, the monumental ass. “Anyone else?” he finally wheezed. “I mean, really; let’s get it all over with so we can move on, right?”

“Are you inviting more of them to attack me, Stark?” Loki asked, his tone incredulous. “I thought we were good.”

“Yeah, princess, we are. Even if you did throw me out of my own window, I know you’re also the reason I could call the Mark VII to save my ass.” He turned to wave off the suits. “Down boys; just a little disagreement among friends. Dr. Foster isn’t going to do anything else to cause an interstellar incident.”

She froze in place. Oh God; she’d not only struck a man, she’d struck the younger prince of an alien people they needed as allies if everything her research was telling her panned out. “I’m sorry,” she managed. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“A refreshing bout of honesty,” said prince told her. “Truly, I much prefer it.” He turned to the approaching Asgardians. One was obviously a guard but the other was a pompous bureaucrat if she ever saw one. “First Councilor, all is well. The lady had a legitimate grudge, but it is now settled. Is it not?” he asked as he glanced her way.

“Oh, yes; absolutely.”

“There; nothing to be concerned about.”

… …

Darcy stared in astonishment. Jane had hauled off and given tall, dark, and H.O.T.T. _HOT_ a right cross to the jaw. And this was after running over Thor with her truck. Twice. Geez; no wonder the woman never got any action. “Wow. Just, wow. Never complain to me again about your manless state, woman. Didn’t your mom ever tell you that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?”

“It looks more like her mom told her to swat those flies,” the kind of Egyptian-looking princess with the reddish brown hair said with a decided smirk as Jane turned to Thor and began a quiet convo with the big guy. Oh yeah, her name was Ka-Maat, that even sounded Egyptian.

“Why are you so white, dude?”

The woman’s eyebrows rose. “Because my parents were; duh.” Darcy cracked up at the too-human response. “Seriously, Darcy; I was born human. Didn’t Tony tell you guys the story?”

“Wait; he was serious? You got stabbed by a goddess and then brought back to life? Wow, I thought he pulled that story out of his ass.”

“No, it’s true.”

“Damn. Next you’re gonna tell me that I’m really going to be babysitting a guy that’s been turned into a woman?”

“Um, I really turned a guy into a woman, yes. What’s this about you babysitting her?”

Tony freaking-bazillionaire Stark stepped in. “Ah, that was my idea. Your problem child is going to need someone born a woman to show her the ropes, so to speak. You know, the club scene and all of that atmosphere she needs to take care of that karma?”

Huh, Loki’s wife had green eyes too. Hers were a lot warmer, though. And they sparkled when she smiled; it must be some kind of goddess perk. “Oh, good. I don’t know anything about meeting regular people.” Regular people? Wasn’t she born human? Darcy frowned, particularly since the rich guy seemed to know what that meant.

“You don’t think your kind of people would do what was necessary?”

“No; not the real deal, anyway. Either they’d treat her right or ensure that no emotional attachments were part of the negotiations.”

“Huh. If you say so, you’re the expert here.”

“Expert in what?” Darcy demanded. She hated to be missing subtexts of conversations.

“Um, not something we want to discuss here,” Stark told her.

“Indeed not,” Loki said, looking around them.

“Fine.” Well, crap. It looked like she wasn’t going to be getting answers any time soon.

… …

Tony’s military friend, whom he addressed as Rhodey, handled the introductions. A Caucasian man somewhere betwixt the ages of Tony Stark and Erik Selvig was being presented to them and First Councilor Neriðr. The dark-skinned officer looked ill-at-ease. “President Ellis, may I introduce the Princes Thor and Loki Odinson and Princess Ka-Maat of Asgard. Prince Thor is the heir to the throne, Prince Loki is second in line and the Princess is his wife.”

“Who is a Princess in her own right, of Heliopolis, daughter of their Queen Isis,” Loki interjected.

Thor smiled. Loki would want the proper public respect for his lady, regardless of how he treated her in their private life. “Indeed,” he added. “We were much honored by the alliance with the gods of Kemet; you called them Egyptian gods, I believe,” he informed the group as Loki favored him with a surprised glance. He did listen at meetings, from time to time. Just because he could rarely be bothered with all of the political maneuverings did not mean that he saw them as valueless; particularly when dealing with those disposed to be disagreeable as they were all assuming the Midgard government officials to be. “And this is my father’s First Councilor and Ambassador to your Realm. He should be addressed as Ambassador Neriðr.”

Their President Ellis fixed a smile on his thin lips and nodded politely. “Your Highnesses, Ambassador; welcome to the United States of America. This is one of the most influential countries on this planet. Our United Nations, which is an advisory body consisting of Ambassadors from the vast majority of our planet’s countries is located in one of our largest cities, New York City.”

Councilor Neriðr returned the man’s barely sincere smile and bowed very slightly, the polite bow of one to one’s equal. Thor supposed they were equal in that regard. The All-Father stood as a god more than a ruler as these folk understood it. For all intents and purposes, Asgard was ruled by the Council for all things concerning Asgard alone, following the laws established millennia ago. When other realms were involved, the All-Father stepped in. “We are pleased to be here and appreciate the hospitality of your people. Mr. Stark, in particular, has been most gracious,” Neriðr told President Ellis. That was certain to needle the government people.

“He usually is, in his own unique way,” the President agreed. “He saved my life very recently; this country owes him a great debt.”

Thor exchanged an incredulous look with his brother. No, Loki had heard naught of this. “All in a day’s work, Mr. President,” Tony said with a grand sweep of his hands. “I only wish I’d recovered in time to assist with the most recent troubles. We lost a good man in Nick Fury.”

… …

Loki managed to keep his expression blank through sheer willpower. Tony’s voice was stressed when speaking of Fury and he doubted the man’s actions with regards to his and Kat’s escape to be the cause of it. They needed to talk privately and soon. “My lady has had a stressful journey; this is only the second time she has experienced the Bifröst and it does not agree with her.” Kat darted a look at him before grimacing and rubbing a hand over her abdomen; thankfully she was every bit as quick-witted as she was sensual.

“I’m not sure which is worse; the headache or the nausea,” she told them.

“Of course; we can have you in a premier suite in a top hotel shortly. That should do until we can make arrangements for a permanent Embassy.” President Ellis offered.

“Actually, Mr. President,” Tony interjected. “Their Embassy is already prepared for them. They have a long-term lease on my family mansion on 5th Avenue. It’s not only large and well appointed, it has the world’s second best security system and is very handy to the United Nations.”

“Only second best, Mr. Stark?” Neriðr asked. “Did not his highness impress upon you the…”

“Ambassador,” Thor said, holding up a hand to interrupt the insufferable man’s intended rant. “The only security better is part of Stark Tower and that is because Mr. Stark’s lab where he develops these security measures resides there. Our father and we are confident that Tony will provide the best of the best when it comes to our security and accommodations.”

Graying blonde eyebrows rose over the councilor’s silvery eyes. His position as First Councilor was largely due to his ability to see beyond that which was in front of him, a gift somewhat related to Heimdall’s, though Neriðr’s was situational and included emotional responses and optional actions rather than the physical aspect of what took place. He made a very dangerous enemy as well as a powerful ally. The All-Father should have gone over this with him. “We did not realize you were not fully briefed,” he soothed. “That was quite remiss of us all.”

“Anyway,” Tony said, clapping his hands together, a habitual motion Loki had noted before. “Why don’t we get settled on my private jet and head out so the Princess can rest after her ordeal? Mr. President; I’m sure you have an aide or two you can send by in the morning with a proposed agenda, right? Good,” he continued as the man nodded in bemused agreement. “Shall we?” The billionaire pointed off toward a jet painted with what Loki knew was the Stark Industries Logo. They followed, the human women trailing along after hesitating until Stark shooed them along in that direction. “Did you girls think I’d forget you? Hell, no. I can send someone for your stuff later.”

“Mr. Stark, my equipment…” Jane Foster began.

“I’ve got better. Relax, you know you want better stuff and I know you back up your data and carry a copy with you and stash another copy in a safety deposit box under your grandmother’s name.” Jane gasped at that revelation. “Don’t worry; I didn’t get the info from S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra doesn’t have a clue either. Trust me; you’ll be safer with us, Hydra has you on an acquisition list.”

“Is this Hydra responsible for more than what happened to Director Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Loki asked.

“Yep. I’ll tell you all about it once we’re settled.” They stepped into the aircraft and took seats. He and Thor watched Stark and the women manipulate the harnesses on the seats before fastening their own and instructing the two guards, Fastný and Neriðr in their use. “By the way,” Stark continued after giving the pilot the command to take off. “You need to call your friends,” he said to Kat. “I told Gwen to cancel all of your appointments and tell people that due to a government issue you would no longer be able to continue your business. She said she’d use that as the basis and be a bit more personal with the people that see you for religious reasons as opposed to your business card stuff; but she’s curious and frantic. It’s been a lot longer than you told her husband you’d be.”

“How long has it been, Tony?” Kat asked. “I’m told time passage here isn’t exactly concurrent with Asgard’s.”

“A bit under two years; and a hell of a lot has happened here.”

Loki stared at the human, nearly as shocked as Kat appeared. “That…the time passage doesn’t usually have that profound of a difference,” he said. “It’s only been two months for us.”

“Yeah, I figured based on what Thor said last time he stopped by. It had been less than a week for you at that point and it had been nearly four months for us.”

“That is grave news,” Neriðr murmured. “It means a congruence is in the offing, yet one has not been predicted by our seers. Unless your lady mother said aught?”

“No, not a word nor even a hint.”

“Once we’re settled we must collect as much information as we can and notify Heimdall.”

“Grave news indeed.” Loki stared out the window as he contemplated the ramifications of such an event on their plans.

… …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Darcy; so many of us impugn her reputation and yes, I’ve joined that club. I’d been wondering how I was going to work in Fandral serving his/her punishment when Tony spoke up. Yes, I have decided to pull in some of The Dark World storyline and The Winter Soldier and Iron Man III storylines…well, with a few minor or not so minor alterations to suit my story. Calling Artistic License!
> 
> So, the delay. The sick doggie passed away last month (on 9/11 no less - I’ve another reason to dread that day). I’ve had an MRI on my knee and just last week got relief in the form of an injection directly to it (OUCH!). It won’t be totally better, but I can walk and most importantly sit with bended knees without screaming pain (yay, me!). The other doggie has been diagnosed with a decrease in liver function as well. After the last one died I insisted on blood tests for this one. Her condition is not nearly as serious (thank god) and she is on meds for it. Do yourself a favor, pet lovers. Get rid of all of the manufactured treats and be very careful of the ingredients of your pet food. We’re now, based on Vet recommendation, feeding Roxy boiled chicken, rice, cottage cheese and a small amount of Science Diet dry food. For snacks we’re dehydrating beef and chicken slices in our own dehydrator for homemade jerky (she absolutely LOVES it) without any additions of spices or marinades. She’s not only losing weight in a healthy way, her eyes and coat seem a lot brighter as well.


	25. Down the Rabbit Hole

Tony Stark stood by the door watching as Loki and Kat explored their suite in his family’s mansion - the new Embassy of Asgard. Kat emerged from the en-suite bathroom with a mischievous look on her face. “It’s a lot like the one at the South Point,” she told Loki.

“Is it? Small then, but it shall do, I suppose. You did enjoy that room quite a bit as I recall.”

“Oh yeah. I don’t know what we’re going to do with all of that closet space.”

“Go shopping,” Tony supplied. “Seriously; it will endear you to the locals,” he insisted as Loki glared at him. “You two are going to be A-List celebrities in no time.”

“Our mission here is serious, Stark.”

“Don’t depersonalize me, Lokes. I’m not going to take that crap from you.” He fought a grin as the god made an annoyed huff. “Come on, you need friends here and who on Earth understands where you’re coming from better than I do?”

“I cannot argue that point,” Loki mused and then shrugged. “Very well; set up a shopping expedition. The All-Father’s private trade agreement should more than cover anything we would care to spend.”

“True. I can’t believe you got him to agree to that. Exclusive supplies of your metals, damn. I had Jarvis analyze some of Thor’s armor on the sly; that shit is amazing.”

Loki’s smirk was a sight to see. “You’ll pay dearly for every gram of it. He knows I drive a hard bargain; that is the one thing for which he has always given me full credit.”

Damn good point. Oh well. Based on the specs J had come up with that stuff would be priceless and better yet, perfect for the Mark XLV. “That’s okay; you’ve never negotiated with Pepper Potts. It should be an eye-opening experience for you.”

“We shall see, Tony.”

… …

“How secure are we here?” Loki asked as he stood at a window that offered a view of a tastefully tended lawn. Kat joined him and took in the profusion of greenery and flowers with mixed feelings. She’d lived in Vegas for so long that she’d forgotten what variety there could be in a non-resort setting. It wasn’t what she was used to anymore, but it was soothing and far less unsettling than the strange to her eyes gardens in Asgard.

“Very. That’s bulletproof glass, all of the windows are. There is twenty-four/seven monitoring of both the buildings and the grounds. We’ve got trusted security personnel waiting to be vetted by your people who will man the security room and advise you of any potential threats. I haven’t heard from Spangles, Big Bird or the Widow lately, but Bruce and I are just a call away. If you want, I can hook your security in to my system that Jarvis oversees.”

Loki stiffened and frowned at the billionaire. “Do begin as you mean to continue, Stark. Lie to me again.”

“Now hold up; I haven’t lied to you.”

“By implication, you did. Your Jarvis is already hooked up into our security system, or do you deny it?”

Kat smirked at the slight flush that rose in Tony’s cheeks. “He’s got you there.”

“Not really. Sure, Jarvis is hooked up now; you weren’t here and the place had to be looked after until you’d arrived. But if you say you don’t want that kind of backup, when I release the system to you, I’ll pull him out.”

She glanced up as Loki’s eyes narrowed. “Hmm, truth. Very well then, Tony; I accept your generous offer of protection.”

“Cool beans; as a bonus, Jarvis will automatically override anyone’s instructions in favor of yours. I didn’t get the impression you were too buddy-buddy with the official Ambassador.”

“We have had our differences, but he is loyal to the Throne and to my mission here. However, I’d rather he remains unaware of what Ka-Maat and I do with our personal time. There is enough speculation as it stands.”

“Huh; busybody, I take it?”

“Ah…?”

Kat couldn’t hold back the snicker. “That didn’t translate,” she told the billionaire. “Most colloquialisms don’t.” She turned to her husband. “He means that Councilor Neriðr pays too much attention to other people’s personal business.”

“Busybody, hmm; I like that term. Yes, Neriðr is indeed a busybody…and a gossip when it comes to anything not pertaining to the security of the Realm.”

Tony nodded, a conspiratorial smile growing. “So I guess you won’t want to be, uh, indulging your sexual tastes here.”

“It shall be difficult to do so with much hope of privacy.”

“Oh, Lokes…have I got a deal for you, buddy.”

… …

Loki settled down in the conference room chair, in a mood Kat had told him was ‘brooding’. Stark had offered them a private suite in his Tower; one to which he could teleport himself and Kat at will, with Neriðr or anyone else for that matter, none the wiser. He wondered briefly what the mortal would ask in return for so large a favor. Narrowing his eyes at the man in question, he considered what he might use in payment that would not require the knowledge or consent of Asgard. Deep brown eyes met his and the lips accented by the sharply styled facial hair frowned. “It’s a good deed for a friend,” Tony said softly. “Hey, let’s just call it even for you letting me get my bracelets on before you defenestrated me.”

“It was the least I could do; or rather, the most.” He shrugged, remembering his desperation to give the vulnerable human a chance to survive. There had been far too many he could find no excuse to save that would still have allowed him to thwart the Mad Titan’s plans.

“I get that. Some of the government bigwigs are starting to get it as well; at any rate, enough of them to shout down the ones that want your head.”

“How reassuring,” he returned dryly.

“I thought so. Point Break, old buddy,” Tony enthused as his adoptive brother lumbered into the room, “How are the new digs?”

After a moment, Thor’s confused look cleared. “Quite adequate, Man of Iron,” he allowed. Loki shook his head at Tony’s groan. Thor knew very well that he was mangling the Avenger’s title; it was his little joke on the egotistical human.

“Come on, Thunderpants, call me Tony.”

“I shall, when you begin to address me as Thor.”

“Oh, burn!” a woman’s voice called out and then the sound dissolved into snickering. Darcy Lewis had joined them, though it appeared that her charge had been left in their apartment.

“Miss Lewis; do you think it wise to have left Fastný alone?”

“Um, no; that’s why Jane’s Fastný-sitting. She said she’d only be here as Thor’s plus one anyway.”

“He doesn’t get a plus one for this, Darcy,” Tony interjected.

“Well, there ya go.”

Loki spared an indulgent glance at his wife as Kat giggled. She seemed to like the irreverent girl; interesting. It made sense; Kat had, in her mortal life, had an irreverent side. He tended to forget that her submission extended to him and to him alone, and even at that it was only sexual. To all others and in all other things, she was an outspoken and powerful woman. “What are your plans for involving Fastný in the type of interaction that will assist with her Karma?” he asked.

Darcy shrugged. “Not sure yet. We’re kind of working on acclimatizing to the modern world here, or she’s not gonna get anywhere with anyone she’s likely to fall for. I mean, you need her to fall for guys, not just get laid, right?”

“Yes, you are correct.”

“Okay, so it’s going to take time. I’ve got one question for the princess though.”

“What’s that?” Kat asked. “Oh, and if we’re not at a formal function, call me Kat.”

“No, darling; she may not.”

“But…”

“She may call you Ka-Maat.”

His lovely wife flushed as she realized that he no longer addressed her as Kat unless they were alone. He might allow another to use the name of his toy, he thought, but only if and when he invited them to play with that toy. “Right; I keep forgetting that’s my name now. I’ll remember eventually.”

“I’m certain.”

“Oooookay,” The young mortal was rolling her eyes at them. He decided to be amused since Kat obviously was. “So, thanks, Ka-Maat. Anywho, my question is why did you give Fastný such a rockin’ bod? I mean, you don’t need that much boobage to get laid, though on second thought, it does kind of help.”

Kat shrugged. “I didn’t, really. My power just delivers their Karma; I don’t get to choose what that Karma is…at least not consciously as of yet. Isis believes I will choose eventually, but that could take centuries. I’m not sure if she got the body that will accomplish the Karma or if it’s just the female equivalent of Fandral’s male body.”

Loki thought about it and nearly choked on laughter. “Tis likely the latter, my love; Fandral is considered, ah…”

“Well endowed?” Darcy supplied.

“Indeed. For an Æs.”

“Huh.” The impudent mortal gave him a speculative look. “I hear you’re not, um, one of those.”

“I am predominately Jötunn.” She frowned questioningly. “Frost Giant,” he clarified.

“Cool.”

He suppressed his urge to glare. Based on her tone and the context in which Stark had used that same word, it no doubt had meanings other than the obvious. “By that you mean…?”

“Huh? Oh, kind of awesome. Didn’t translate right with that magical thingamabob doohickey, right?” He stared at her until the girl erupted in laughter. “Oh, dude. I just made it _so_ much worse. Sorry.”

Kat slipped an arm around his waist and leaned in. “He’s better with slang than most people from Asgard, but yeah, those were a bit much.”

She shrugged. “It’s Darcy-speak; you get used to it.”

“I highly doubt it,” Loki muttered.

“So Loki, since you’re a giant does that mean…” Fortunately for his sanity, the mortal trailed off after glancing down towards his groin and firmly pressed her lips together. “Shutting up now,” she said.

“Thank the Nine.” Kat was still laughing when Neriðr strode into the room and called their meeting to order.

… …

“I liked her,” she told Loki after he’d complained once again about Darcy Lewis’s irreverent attitude.

He sighed. “I know you did, kitten.” His tone was both sour and resigned. That was a good thing; he obviously wasn’t happy about it, but he wouldn’t complain about her pursuing a friendship with the slightly younger woman. “I would appreciate it, however, if you direct her speculations elsewhere.”

Kat couldn’t help smirking. Darcy had really made him uncomfortable. She hadn’t been sure if his mood was strictly over the useless three hour meeting or if the girl’s attitude was part of it. “I’ll do my best.” He nodded and stroked her cheek briefly before he began undressing. “Are we going to bed?”

A dark eyebrow rose. “If you wish. I had intended on simply changing into more comfortable clothing and ordering in a meal.”

“Can we do both, get a meal and go to bed?”

“That mortal chit has put you in a naughty mood, love. I may be forced to change my opinion on her.”

“She reminds me of a young Domme that my mentor was training before she got too ill.” Seeing her husband’s curious look she continued. “Therese, my mentor, used me to teach her how to both handle and care for a submissive.”

“Sexually?” The curiosity had morphed into a sharp interest.

“Not just sexually, but sex had a good deal to do with it. I was, after all, a toy rather than a standard sub.”

“Still are, as you’ve found it necessary to remind me.”

“Only the once.” Crossing the room Kat wrapped her arms around his lean hips. “You haven’t played with your toy in ages,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against his chest.

“Hmm, we need to work on your time sense; it was just the night before last.”

“Seems like forever.”

That pulled a laugh from him. “Jarvis? Cease recording audio and visuals inside our quarters until one of us orders otherwise.”

“As you wish, your Highness,” the AI’s British accented voice agreed. “Recording functions disabled.”

“No need to reward Stark unintentionally,” Loki told her as he cupped her backside with long-fingered hands and pulled her flush against him. Kat loved the feel of his taut body against her softness, and she loved it even more when she felt him hardening against her tummy. “Though perhaps he may yet earn an intentional reward,” he mused.

“After what I told him when we met, he’d totally freak out.”

“No, love; he’s…I believe what you’d call an adrenaline junkie. He’d love every moment of it.” Those fingers cradling her ass tightened in a punishing grip and she moaned as he lifted her so that her crotch cradled his now steely cock. “Or perhaps you’d prefer Darcy be rewarded for subjecting my dear brother to her taser?”

“Oooh, Loki,” she whimpered. Her juices were already starting to soak the thong he’d insisted she wear. “Please?”

“Please what, my sweet toy? Did you enjoy having your mentor’s trainee use you? Did she make you wet with need? Could she bring you the way I can?”

Her mind struggled to focus as he licked a path from her shoulder to just behind her ear and then tugged at the jewel-encrusted lobe. “Yes, yes and no,” she managed to gasp. “Nobody can bring me the way you can.”

“Good answer,” he hissed.

… …

By the Nine, the thin silk slacks of the outfit she’d donned before that godsforsaken meeting were already damp with her desire; never had there been such a woman as his lovely Kat. “What would this woman do to you, my love? This…?” he realized Kat had never told him the Domme-in-training’s name.

“She called herself Marrakesh. It wasn’t her real name, she taught Middle eastern dance,” Kat told him whilst squirming in his grip. He pulled her slightly away, the wicked chit was trying to give herself a quick orgasm by grinding her sex on his erection. She pouted at him and then lowered her eyes in chagrin when he favored her with a censorious glare. “Her favorite was to bind me and sit over my mouth to force me to pleasure her orally.”

He hid a smile at her slight shiver. “You enjoyed that.”

Kat chuckled. “I enjoy mostly everything.”

This was true. His toy was truly extraordinary. “Aught else you or she particularly enjoyed?”

“She insisted on having me use other parts of my body to rub against her sex. Marrakesh loved that, she bind my breasts with rope to make them into hard cylinders. I’d be leashed and on my knees while she sat back in a short seated chair, her legs spread and holding the leash in one hand and a crop in the other while I rubbed my bound breasts against her opening, used dildos in her or finger-fucked her and pleasured her clit with my mouth. If I hesitated or didn’t perform satisfactorily, she’d strike me pretty hard across the back.”

“You’re not a pain slut, why would she do such a thing?”

“To remind me to obey. She wouldn’t beat me; Therese would have never allowed that. Toys aren’t just to be taken…if their Dom or Domme wants, they’re to take as well.”

“I’m aware.” She looked up and smirked at his sharp tone. He shrugged. “I suppose I simply hadn’t thought about what that might entail for a Domme with a female toy.” He gave her a considering look. “I do not know if this is something I can recreate for you, love.”

“That’s okay. I really only need you.”

“A partial lie, darling; but I shall forgive you.” He banished their clothing and pulled her down on his now aching cock, groaning with pleasure as her wet heat enveloped him. “Exquisite, as always.” He turned and pressed her backside against a large wooden dresser for balance as he began thrusting into that delicious quim. “I look forward to seeing if Stark can follow my instructions and create a proper dungeon for us.”

Kat moaned and began to pant as he used her well. “Bet…he…can,” she managed breathily. “Oh, god, Loki. Harder, please?”

He smiled. “As you wish.”

… …

Tony had Jarvis disconnect the call from Romanov and sat back with a thoughtful frown. Cap was off on a wild goose chase, looking for an old – as old as or older than _he_ was – friend who was now, somehow, a super-assassin working for Hydra. Natasha had spoken to Rogers briefly and had immediately decided to call Tony. That made him feel a bit better about the woman’s allegiance to S.H.I.E.L.D., just a bit. “Jarv, forward everything you’ve got to my workshop HUD on the following: James, also known as Bucky Barnes, who was purported to have died in W W two and the mystery assassin known as The Winter Soldier. Usual encryptions, bury the file, you know the drill.”

“I do, indeed, sir,” the AI responded in his customary droll tone. “Incidentally sir, Sergeant Barnes was listed as missing in action, presumed dead in the latter part of World War Two. His remains were never recovered.”

“Huh. That supports what the Boy Scout told Romanov.” He pushed out of the chair’s comfortable embrace and strode purposefully to the bar. “Another super-soldier, this one turned assassin; that calls for a double.”

“Of course it does, sir.”

“Don’t get smart with me, J.”

“Never, sir.” He had poured almost a full tumbler of Jameson’s and taken his first sip when Jarvis spoke again. “Incoming call, identity blocked, sir.”

“Unblock it.”

“Device is a contract phone, purchased today at three in the afternoon with cash.”

“Cute. What the hell, put it through.” He waited for the telltale sound of the connection opening. “Tony Stark’s life-model decoy here, leave a message at the tone.”

“Stark, we need to talk.” Tony blinked as he recognized the voice. “I know you’re there, motherfucker. Answer me, goddamnit.”

“It’s good to hear your voice too. Glad you’re up and about; does anyone else know about it?”

“Only a trusted few. You’ve spoken to one of them. I visited him to pass the baton.”

“Ah, the new Director. He didn’t mention that he’d actually seen you. So what do you want from me, considering you’re officially dead?”

“I told you; we need to talk, in person. Give me a hidden way into your place; it’s being watched.”

“Figured as much. Is the new Embassy being watched by the same group?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Shit. Okay, hold on. Jarvis, put this call on hold.”

“Done, sir.”

“Connect me with Loki, Not Neriðr, Loki.”

There was silence for a moment before the line answered. “Loki here; what do you want, Stark. I was busy.”

“I’m sure you were, but a mutual acquaintance has info we need and needs help getting here unseen. Where else could you do that teleport thing to in order to pick him up?”

“You presume much.”

“And you know that not only am I good for it, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was important to both of us.”

A heavy sigh answered. “In New York?”

“Yes, in New York.”

“I…the park. Where I was sent back to Asgard. It must be a place I have physically been.”

“Okay. Can you hop over here and then go there? You might want to bring Thor.”

“You do not wish him seen? Any who watch your Tower will know that Jane resides there and that he is wont to visit her.”

“Good point. But why are you so reluctant…”

“I will not leave my lady unprotected.”

“You have guards from Asgard…ah, yeah. Got it. Loki?” there was no response. “Loki, come on, bud.”

Tony jumped as the prince’s voice responded from behind him. “Come on what?”

“Shit, don’t do that to me.” He took in a deep breath and then expelled it. “J, disconnect that call.”

“Already done, sir.”

He stared at the god and goddess now occupying his lounge. Both were dressed in what he figured must be casual Asgardian clothing. It had a kind of medieval-renaissance look to it, but wasn’t overly fancy. The woman’s outfit actually had pants. She looked a bit flushed and her hair was kind of messy. Yep, they’d been ‘busy’ all right. He’d be lucky if Loki didn’t pay him back for the interruption. Time to lay on the charm. “Thanks for coming. We didn’t get a chance to discuss it at the meeting, what with Neriðr there and me not knowing what was okay for him to know or not, but Fury’s alive. He’s got information we need and wants to come here unseen. Will you go pick him up? Ka-Maat will be safe here with me.” He’d picked up on the fact that Loki did not want anyone addressing her as Kat. Wasn’t sure why, but he wasn’t going to piss him off by asking. The god of pissiness didn’t need an excuse to be antagonistic on his best day. “I’ll even suit up.”

“Do so and I will retrieve the Director.”

“Former. There isn’t an official S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore and what there is of it, Phil Coulson heads.” He stepped out the door to his armoring platform. Loki’s voice accompanied him. The god had vocal projection worthy of a stage actor.

“Ah, the Agent who did not die. You were all wrong, by the way. I did my best to kill him; I was so angry that he saw more than Thor, who supposedly loved me so well, yet the man did nothing to act upon it.” Tony stared at the god as he stepped off the platform, armored except for his faceplate, waiting for him to elaborate. The cold green eyes narrowed. “He quite rightly said I lacked conviction. If he’d only asked himself why, much could have been avoided.”

“We were too stressed to think that clearly, Lokes. Shit, you’d stepped out of a hole in space, destroyed a highly militarized secure facility singlehanded and taken over the minds of supposedly incorruptible and brainwash-resistant agents. Then your b…uh, Thor showed up and flattened a forest. That was so far beyond our experience we were basically just reacting on a pretty damn primal level. Give Phil a break.”

Fortunately, Loki smiled. “I do now claim Thor as my brother,” he replied. “He has earned it these last few months.”

Well that was one issue he wouldn’t have to deal with. “Great. Glad to hear it. Now, would you pretty please agree to pick up Nicky?”

“Very well.”

“J, pick up the call again.” The connection clicked open. “Still there?”

“Yes,” Fury grated.

“Go to the place where we had the big send-off for the brothers grimmer. You’ll be picked up there for undetectable transport. Just don’t freak out and attack your escort, capisce?”

“This is a load of shit, even coming from you. I’m not gonna to like this, am I?”

“Nope; not one little bit.”

… …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life has been sucky, as usual. I didn’t even get a birthday cake this year. What I did get was two new furbabies from a shelter. Tumbler will have photos eventually. My current stories will only be updated sporadically (as if you couldn’t guess from how it’s gone the past 6 months). I apologize, but that’s the best I can do. I won’t abandon them, this I can promise, but updates will continue to be slow. Thank you all for your continued support and have a wonderful holiday.


	26. Strange Bedfellows

This was not gonna be good, he felt it in his bones. He felt a lot in his bones these days thanks to those Hydra motherfuckers. Sure, he’d taken bullets before, but not that many at once and not in vital areas. It was a damn good thing his medical staff was loyal and that they had the best trauma specialists on the planet or he’d have been a goner for sure. He leaned up against a tree and stared pensively out of the wayfarer sunglasses that had replaced his far too distinctive eye-patch. Central Park had recovered from the invasion, more or less, but now that lunatic god was back, or so his contacts said. Ambassadorial party and diplomatic immunity, his ass; bastard was going to fuck them all over again, he damn well knew it. The blood congealed in his veins as he heard _that_ voice in his ear. “So good to see you alive, Nicholas Fury.”

“Loki. So what is _real power_ doing running a taxi service?” Stark was going to get Nick’s foot up his billionaire ass for this one.

The purported god smirked at him. “Showing you exactly what _real power_ is. Close your eyes lest you become nauseated and lose your dignity…not to mention your most recent meal,” the fucker advised as he laid pale lean fingers on Nick’s bare hand then gripped it tightly.

Nick squeezed his eyes shut as the world around him shifted out of focus. “God _damn_.”

… …

Loki was chuckling as he reappeared; Fury in tow, and the former director immediately bent over, leaned against his own knees and took deep breaths. “God **_DAYUM_** ,” he grated.

Tony fought to keep a straight face, but it was a losing battle. “Told you that you wouldn’t like it,” he informed the old pirate.

“Thought you meant wouldn’t like who.”

“Yeah, that either. So, you’re here, no one knows it but us.”

Fury looked up at him and straightened. He glanced around the room and his scowl deepened. “You’ve changed,” he said to Ka-Maat.

“I died,” she shot back.

“So Thor took you to Ass-Guard and they killed you?”

Her sunny smile made Fury frown. “No; they were pretty shocked when it happened. I was a priestess of Isis; she killed my mortal body so that she could resurrect me as a goddess.”

“Isis? Are you seriously telling me that the motherfucking Egyptian gods are real, too?”

Tony grinned; Fury’s face had blanched to a mottled gray color. “Yeah, and I hear they’re a hell of lot more powerful than the ones in Asgard.” He just couldn’t resist the dig.

“And some of them have worse tempers,” Ka-Maat supplied helpfully.

“Actually, it was the Olympian gods who were the most egregiously incestuous ones,” Loki added, having made an appalled face at Fury’s ‘motherfucker’ comment.

“They’re real too? Fuck it; I damn well need to retire.”

“Oh no, not yet,” Loki said with a suspiciously charming grin. “The fun is just starting.”

Fury’s glare could have roasted marshmallows, Tony was sure of it. “ _That’s_ what I’m afraid of,” he said. Tony turned away to hide a grin. Damn, he loved jerking Fury’s chain! “Hey, were you able to do that apparate thing when you invaded?”

“Apparate?” Loki asked.

“Shifting from one place to another,” his wife answered. “That’s what they called it in a series of novels about wizards and such.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Then why all the stealing of jeeps, Quinjets, et cetera?”

“The Mad Titan wasn’t aware of the ability. I had no wish to enlighten him.”

“You’re a sneaky bastard.”

“I’ll own to the sneaky, you will retract the latter description. I was the first born of King Laufey and his Queen, Fárbauti, and his only legitimate child.”

“It’s just a saying, shit.”

Tony figured he’d better butt in while he could. “Okay, so what was so important that I had to wheedle Loki into picking you up? I usually don’t wheedle men for anything…women, that’s another story.”

“I thought you just flashed your…bankroll.”

Ouch, score one for Nicky-boy. “Funny as a crutch.”

“Hydra doesn’t know I’m alive and I need it to stay that way. We need to discuss the artifacts they liberated from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s custody.”

“Yeah, the first part we got. So what did they _liberate_ that’s so important?”

“Besides several of the tesseract based weapons we had on hand when _his highness_ there first graced us with his lunatic presence? The motherfucking scepter he controlled Barton and the others with.”

Tony swallowed and he noticed Loki’s normally pale complexion whiten considerably. “Son of a bitch,” was all that he could manage.

… …

“That’s it, you’re returning to Asgard,” Loki said in her ear. “I won’t have you exposed to this…”

He trailed off as she turned to stare at him. “We have to face it together, both of our mothers said so.”

“We have to face the Mad Titan together. Humans armed with that artifact are a different danger altogether, unpredictable, undetectable…”

“Unpredictable, maybe,” Tony Stark interrupted. “Undetectable, not so much. I can track the energy of that puppy, even if it isn’t in use. Bruce took several terabytes worth of readings on it and we haven’t found anything else that gives off that same energy signature. That’s also how we tracked down your storage site,” he said with a nod to Fury. “The tesseract based weapons were also traceable; I guess Hydra figured that out too.”

“And that is why I’m here, Stark,” the MIB, as she was calling him in her head, muttered.

“I can’t believe you kept that thing on Earth. Thor was running back and forth, why didn’t you send it home with him?”

“I tried. The motherfucker refused point blank to take it. Seems dear old dad thought it was too dangerous to have there with all of the other artifacts they’ve got in their collection.”

Loki turned away from her with an irritated huff. “First, Thor is many things, some of them quite negative, but a motherfucker as you put it, he is not.”

“Uh, I think he knows that, Lokes, Fury just spits out that word to label anybody he’s particularly unhappy with,” Tony said apologetically. “We just ignore it.”

“I cannot. Thor is the Crown Prince of Asgard and deserves this mortal’s respect.”

“I don’t see you doing much respecting of him,” Fury growled.

“You haven’t seen them lately,” Kat felt she had to say. “They’re actually getting along better than they ever have, and respect each others’ strengths now.”

“Well ain’t that grand. That doesn’t change the fact that…”.

“Taking the scepter to Asgard would have provided the Mad Titan with the means to bypass hundreds of light-years of space travel to reach this solar system with his full army,” Loki supplied dryly. “The All-Father was right to insist it be kept here if he could not destroy it outright. That it is in the hands of your enemy is _your_ failure, not one of Asgard’s.”

“Okay, enough blaming and accusations,” Kat told them all. “This scepter thingie is dangerous and Hydra has it. What do we do about it and what do we do to protect ourselves from it? Loki, why is it dangerous to _us_?”

Loki tensed up. That wasn’t promising. “It holds a gem that allows the bearer, if they are of strong enough mind and will, to control the minds and wills of others. Before you ask, yes, there are some mortals who would be capable of using its power, at least in the short term. Eventually it would burn out their neural synapses, but there is much damage they could do aforetime.”

“Great. And it works on gods, I take it?”

“Eh, not the same as it works on mortals, no. But it would, ah, disrupt our nervous systems sufficiently to disable us long enough for them to employ other means of attack… _successful_ attack.”

“Oh. Crap.”

“Succinct and a tad crude, love; but accurate. That is why you should return to Asgard where you would be safe.”

“Haven’t you been kind of enthralled by this thing before?”

“Well, not in the same way. I was barely alive at the time and they’d, well, there were circumstances.”

“Torture,” Stark half-muttered, half coughed.

She gave the billionaire a sharp look. “Torture?”

“I was trying to spare her that knowledge, Stark.”

“Sorry, Bambi, but she had to know. She’s your wife; she has a stake in this whole thing.”

“ _Bambi_?” Kat asked. “Never mind; I really don’t want to know how your mind works, Tony.”

“He’s apparently never gotten over the horns on my dress helm,” Loki informed her. “By the by, they are the horns of…the closest beast you have would be an Imperial Dragon, not those of any form of herbivorous herd animal.”

“Don’t you have to kill something to get to wear its horns?” Tony asked.

“Kill, tame, or otherwise subdue. I tamed Jörmungandr, known as the World Serpent.”

“That’s not one of your kids?” Fury said in a snide tone.

“I have but one child; Hel, goddess of the Dead.”

“Yeah, the mythology is all bogus,” Tony interjected. “Though there is an eight-legged horse, it’s just a horse.”

“Sleipnir is a bit more than _just_ a horse, Stark. He’s the result of thousands of years of selective breeding and infusion of what you would call magic. I had a difficult time persuading the Leirjötnar to part with him.”

“The what?”

“Who, not what. Leirjötnar are the Hill Giants, one of the common ancestors of the Æs people along with the Vanir. I bartered my services as a mage for the foal and trained him as a name day gift for Odin. It was one of the few times he ever showed favor with something I’d done, though he still managed to complain about the work I did for the Leirjötnar being a disservice to Asgard.”

“So I suppose the Amazon that showed up in Puente Antiguo didn’t lose her hair because of you either?” Fury asked.

“Sif? Yes and no. It was not the result of a prank. She wanted Thor and his friends to take her seriously as a warrior trainee; I informed her that being the toast of Asgard for her golden tresses was a severe hindrance for attaining that goal.”

Kat rolled her eyes. “Loki, half of Asgard is blonde.”

“Not blonde, darling, _golden_. Her hair, at the time, glittered like spun gold,” he told her. “She asked what she could do, so I arranged for her to trade her golden locks to the Dökkálfar for hair the color of midnight. They magically spun actual strands of the midnight sky to make the hair that graces her head now.”

“So why doesn’t she like you?” Sif had become one of Asgard’s greatest warriors, she’d gotten what she wanted; that didn’t make sense, Kat thought.

“Ah, well; I might have neglected to mention to her that Thor’s romantic interest was solely due to her unusual hair.”

Choked laughter erupted from the ‘billionaire gallery’ as Tony collapsed on his ultra-luxurious sofa. “Oh crap. That’s too funny. I’ll bet Xena was absolutely _livid_.”

Her husband was sporting a sly expression; and he called _her_ a brat? “I saved them both much heartache, but got naught but grief for my trouble.”

“I’m sure you were being totally altruistic,” Fury muttered. “Can we get back on task here? Missing artifact? Dangerous to our people _and_ yours, remember that?”

… …

Keeping these people on track was like herding cats, Nick thought disgustedly. “I remember quite well, Director,” Loki half-snarled at him.

“Then maybe, just fucking _maybe_ , you should act like it!”

“Whoa, Nicky baby, ease up. Loki isn’t the problem, okay? I’ll track the thing, we’ll swoop in and retrieve it, and everything will be hunky-dory,” Stark said soothingly.  

“I’m in no mood to be placated, Stark,” he told the annoying motherfucker. Damn, if he didn’t need the…his thoughts trailed off at the intrusion of reality. He _did_ need Stark; he also needed the crazy-ass god. “Damn it all to hell; why didn’t I retire years ago?” he muttered.

“Then where would we be?” the genius asked. “I’d be dead without you pushing me to synthesize that new element for my reactor; Loki wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of you putting together the Avengers Initiative to drag enough of us in to stop his bad titan dude…”

“ _Mad_ Titan, Tony,” Loki interjected sounding every bit as aggravated as Nick felt.

“Right, that. And Hydra would have had free rein all this time.”

“Stark, you’re a fucking genius; surely you can manage to recognize a rhetorical question?”

“Never been much for rhetoric.”

“Of course you’re not.” He rubbed the now painful spot at the base of his skull. “So? Go track the goddamn scepter already, Stark.”

“Fine; you don’t have to get testy about it.”

“I’m living my worst fucking nightmare,” he groused.

… …

“Hey, you,” a bright voice greeted Kat as she stood on the Observation Deck looking out over the city. “Where is tall, dark, and yummy?”

Kat turned to shake her head as Darcy Lewis sauntered out onto the deck. Thor had said that the girl was outrageous. “Working with the boys in Dr. Banner’s lab. Why are you here?”

“A friend of Jane’s hooked up Fastný with a personal shopper. The three of them are out putting wardrobes together with Thor trailing along to carry packages. Oh, and they took a guard, too. I was with them, but Jane and Cora, uh, the shopper, told me to get lost. I guess they don’t want to go overboard on the sexy with the clothes. Kind of dumb, don’tcha think, if they want her to get laid a lot?”

She had to think about that one. “Maybe. But the object is for her to fall in love and then get dumped. A guy’s not going to be even pretending to look for an LTR if she’s dressed like a one night stand.”

“Oh, ouch. Is that how I dress?”

“Welllll?”

Darcy laughed as she looked down at herself. “Okay, you got me. Right now I am. But I dress modestly a lot. It’s just that the girls command attention even if I’m wearing something loose and comfortable.”

True. Kat had that problem herself. “Good point. But seriously; is that your idea of dressing for a night out?”

“What, this? Oh, you mean the loose stuff. No; I go outrageous for clubbing. If they’re gonna stare at my tits anyway, I might as well make it my choice.”

“Exactly. We don’t want her to encourage that kind of attention.”

“Crap. Okay, I get it. But I need new clothes too,” Darcy whined.

“Good point.” She beckoned Darcy to follow her and they went down to the suite Tony had showed them before disappearing with Loki and the boys. “Jarvis? Does Miss Potts have a personal shopper that would come out to the tower?”

“Yes, your highness,” the AI replied. Kat grinned; she had missed this kind of service. “Shall I call her?”

“Yes, please. Scan our measurements, give her photos and have her bring a dozen complete outfits in each size. I want them suitable for daytime diplomatic functions and outdoor or daytime charity galas. We’ll look at evening wear another time.”

“A dozen?” Darcy squeaked.

“I don’t expect us to like them all. I figure we’ll find a couple each that we’ve got to have.”

“Yeah, but even the salary Tony’s giving me isn’t…”

She held up a hand to stop the girl. “And Jarvis; be sure to put this on the Embassy’s tab.”

“As you wish. Mrs. Derain advises that it should take no more than two hours for her arrival.”

“Thank you, Jarvis. We’ll be lunching in my suite when she arrives if you would direct her there.”

“Lunching in your suite…man, that just sounds so…so posh. And you’re acting like it’s an everyday thing.”

“Darcy, I come from a posh background. No one would ever have guessed it based on what I was doing when Loki found me, but there’s a reason I dropped my last name. My entire family would have died of shame, down to the last blue-blooded snot, if they’d known how I was living.”

“Holy shit. Holy fucking…you’re her! You’re the missing…”

“Not a word. That person no longer exists. Her family drove her to suicide eleven years ago…ah, well, thirteen, considering Tony told us we’ve been gone two years when it wasn’t even six months for us.”

“Well, well…damn.”

… …

Bruce frowned at the data flashing across the multiple holographic screens and adjusted his glasses, glad he’d gone with the anti-glare coating with this pair. They were looking for an entire package worth of needles, possibly at separate locations, in a very large haystack; unless Hydra had decided to keep all of the stolen weapons and artifacts together. “Unlikely,” he murmured aloud.

“What is unlikely, doctor?”

He glanced up at the very ill-at-ease Asgardian prince who had returned with Tony and Nick Fury from a trip to get them both settled in rooms while they tracked the missing artifacts. Thor’s brother didn’t agitate his other the way he’d expected, that was a plus. For some reason that side of him seemed to recognize that the god was no longer a threat. Loki, for his part, didn’t seem to be aware of the reverse. “That Hydra would keep all of their eggs in one basket.” Dark eyebrows drew together in puzzlement. “Sorry, kind of a folk saying. It means they aren’t likely to keep all of these items in the same location.”

“Ah. Ka-Maat hasn’t used that phrase as of yet. I appreciate the clarification.” Bruce nodded as he returned his attention to the data. “Normally, I would agree, however they’ve had little time to move these things and most should require special storage methods. Are their resources that plentiful?”

“That’s the thing; we just don’t know. They’ve been around for at least eighty years that we’re aware of; here on Earth that’s a very long time, maybe enough to establish multiple high-security storage locations.”

“From my… _experience_ with Barton and Selvig, I learned that this organization held the Cosmic Cube briefly about seventy-five years ago. Depending on how long they had it, they might have had enough…”

“Doubtful; Captain America got it away from them within days of it being found from what I understand. They might not have even gotten it to a lab. Then it sat at the bottom of the ocean until he and it were found four years ago.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. held it long enough to devise weapons based upon it; did not Hydra have access through S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Limited access only,” Fury interjected. “The vast majority of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s scientists were loyal to the division. It was our military arm that had the bulk of the corrupted agents. The most they might have had access to is raw data and reports.”

“No practical experience then?” Fury nodded and Loki seemed satisfied. “That is to our advantage. They may well find themselves forced to keep all of those so-precious eggs in the same basket after all.”

The god began to pace, drawing his attention away from the data. Bruce bit back a smile as he noticed that the path of that pacing subtly moved Loki further away from him with each pass. “I make you nervous,” he told the god.

“Eh?” Loki looked up at him and then around and winced a bit as he realized what he’d been doing. “At an instinctive level, I suppose you must. Though I needed you to do it, being repeatedly slammed into a granite floor like a rag doll was not exactly a pleasant experience, even for a god.”

“Right. So you did provoke my other intentionally.”

“Yes. I also sent Barton after Romanov. From what he’d said of her, she would not have killed him until she’d exhausted all other options. He was fortunate that she discovered how to free him before she did.” Loki shrugged. “Most of the others I took were not loyal to their employer so I had no care for what happened to them and t’was the best I could do for Barton at the time. I did not wish the rest of you distracted by the necessity of killing one of your own.”

“Yet you killed Phil Coulson.” Tony looked up at that and frowned, but he kept silent at Fury’s claim. Bruce figured that Fury didn’t know that Phil had spilled the beans and that could be a bargaining chip later, and Fury didn’t know that Loki knew Phil was alive.

“He was an outsider to your group of heroes, though he made for a fine inspiration. Still; if he had not been so persistent in his attempts to stop me when it was time for me to go, I would not have thought to use him that way.”

“You used all of us, in one way or another,” Bruce murmured softly.

Loki rounded on him, his expression furious. “What would you have had me do, doctor? Conquer your feeble planet for the Mad Titan? Allow him almost direct access to Asgard and the other seven realms that lay past her? Yes; I used you, I used all of you. I. Had. No. Choice.”

Bruce watched silently as the god stalked out of the lab, all six foot plus of him looking like it was about to explode. He smiled sadly as the door to the stairwell at the end of the hall crashed open and then gently swung closed. “And people think that I have anger management issues,” he mused to Tony who shrugged. Nick Fury stared down the hall and shuddered.

… …

“Calm down,” Kat interrupted him mid-rant. Loki spun and stared at her, his teeth bared in a savage snarl. Thank goodness Darcy had decided to go take a shower before the clothes arrived. She had a prayer of talking Loki down from his rage since they were alone. “They’re trying to understand, okay? Tony didn’t blab to them; he protected you by keeping everything you told him confidential.”

He visibly slumped and then dropped down into the leather sofa that faced the floor to ceiling windows of the Observation Lounge. “So he did.”

“Dr. Banner is a nice guy; he was really reasonable when they found me in your hotel room.”

“Is he another to whom I owe a favor? Perhaps I should also _thank_ Fury for not reaching the egress in time enough to stop Thor from taking you to Asgard?”

She winced at his snide tone. “That’s not fair. Besides, I didn’t say that Fury was nice. From what I’ve seen he’s every bit as manipulative a jerk as the All-Father.”

“Though fortunately, with a great deal less power, especially now.”

“Look; I know you don’t want to deal with him, but his people are the best resource we’re going to have to get that weapon back. You do want it back, don’t you?” she persisted.

“No; I simply do not want it in the hands of those who would use it to do further harm.”

“Same thing. We’ll get it back, Tony can build a secure vault for it somewhere, problem solved.”

Flinty eyes stared up at her from the depths of the sofa where her husband had flopped back dramatically. “There is no _we_ in this, my dear. I will get it back and Hydra will rue the day they took that which is rightfully mine.”

“I thought you didn’t want it?”

A deep atypical sigh was his only answer for several minutes. She folded her arms and stood there, staring at him. Finally he sat up and patted his thigh and held an arm out for her. Kat slipped onto his lap and let him hold her tightly. “It is dangerous, regardless of within whose hands it resides. That said; I trust myself to resist its call more so than I trust any other. I was able to fight it even when bound to it. I much doubt anyone else could have done the same.”

“You weren’t even at full strength,” she guessed.

“Nowhere near it.”

“That Titan really doesn’t have any clue who he fucked with, does he?”

A wicked smile stretched Loki’s lips. “No, my kitten, he does not.”

… …

Darcy’s head was spinning as she watched the most recently built of Tony’s robots carry their tray of food to Ka-Maat’s suite while she and the princess carried the glasses and bottles of wine. IT (that was its name, of all damn things, short for Inter-tower Transporter), was basically a self- (or Jarvis) guided cart that moved through the Tower under its own power. IT supposedly had specialized trays to carry bottles, glasses and such but they hadn’t been able to locate them so decided it was safer to carry those themselves. Loki had been in the kitchen helping his wife when she’d returned from her shower but he’d headed down to their suite as soon as she returned. Apparently the god had decided that watching them try on clothes would be a better use of his time than fighting to control his temper in the lab. Tony would call him when and if they found something. “So, he’s really the god of Chaos? I thought it was all about lies and mischief?”

The goddess shrugged. “Lies and mischief cause chaos, don’t they?”

Duh. “Oh.” She shuddered. “Chaos and Karma. Either one of those is pretty damn terrifying, but together? Dude, you guys scare me spitless.”

Ka-Maat chuckled, yeah, chuckled. “You don’t deserve any bad karma, Darcy; there’s nothing I could do that would hurt you.”

“Thanks. But what about tall, dark, and fucking frightening, even if he is like, ultra hot?”

Kohl-rimmed eyes glinted wickedly. “Loki _loves_ that you used a taser on Thor. He thinks that ranks right up there as one of the coolest things ever. And I think Jane got off with smacking Loki because she ran Thor over with her truck.”

“Twice,” Darcy felt the need to clarify. “She hit him twice with the truck.”

“Better yet. From what I hear he probably deserved to be run over a few more times.”

“So you don’t like Thor?”

“Huh?” Ka-Maat gave her a startled look and a really oddly suspicious little smile. “Oh, I _like_ him just fine. I’m talking about past misdeeds. You know, for being a jerky brother and a kind of misogynistic ass to Sif. Poor woman was in love with him but he never saw the whole person, just whatever part happened to catch his attention at any given particular time. He was kind of dense.”

“Sooooo, he was a typical guy then?”

The goddess looked at her and then erupted in a peal of laughter. “Yeah, typical,” she finally managed with a conspiratorial grin.

“Hey, does Loki know about your background? You know, the secret one?”

Ka-Maat’s face tightened. “It wouldn’t mean anything to him if he were told, so don’t bother.”

“Hey! I’m not going to tell him. I just thought maybe if you hadn’t that you should. Those S.H.I.E.L.D. people are pretty on it when they’re not busy with a hostile takeover. And Tony Stark? Damn, he even knew about Jane’s bank box. I knew about it, cause she signed me on it as a backup but I didn’t tell anyone so how’d he find out?”

“Probably had his AI do records searches on all of Jane’s family and actions and movements. It wouldn’t have been hard for him. It wouldn’t have occurred to anyone else; they don’t have his brand of suspicious genius. Suspicious minds, yes; coupled with genius, not so much.”

“Huh. You still sound like a human, at least.”

“Uh, thank you?”

Darcy snorted. “Yeah, that was a compliment. I guess as a priestess or before that as a society chick you didn’t cuss too much, though.”

This time the goddess nearly choked on her laughter. “Au contraire, my friend. But Loki doesn’t like it so I’ve been doing my best to avoid it.”

“Huh. Love must suck.”

“Love does something, but I’d be the one that sucks,” she said with a wink.

“Oh, man. I bet you have the _best_ sex life with his hottieness.”

“You know, Darcy; I really do.”

… …

Kat tried not to fidget as Darcy looked around the public, more or less, portion of the suite. Loki was sprawled in their living area, sipping some Jameson’s he’d liberated from Tony’s bar. The girl was right; if she didn’t tell Loki, someone else would eventually figure it out and then he’d think she’d lied to him. He hadn’t asked about her family, not once, but she hadn’t offered, either. Maybe tonight after everyone else was gone. As if he was listening to her thoughts, Loki turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. “Later,” she said quietly. He nodded, but was now frowning slightly. Great. Just what she needed.

“Wow, this place is awesome. Tony pulled out all the stops,” Darcy enthused as she dropped down into an overstuffed chair.

“Not really,” Loki replied. “Our suite at the Embassy is more luxurious, and neither compare favorably to my…our chambers in Asgard.”

“Geez. Well, excuse me. Some of us weren’t born with a silver spoon in our…uh,” she gave Kat a chagrined look. “Never mind. Lips zipped as of now.”

Now Loki was giving them both increasingly curious looks. Wonderful. Oh well; it would be a good segue into the topic later. Fortunately the personal shopper chose that moment to arrive. “Thank you, Jarvis,” she said as she hurried to their door when the AI announced the woman. Opening it, she found a fortyish woman with severely yet fashionably styled hair wearing a Chanel suit dress accompanied by several younger people rolling tall trunks ahead of them. “You must be Mrs. Derain.” she greeted warmly. “I’m Ka-Maat, please, come in.”

“Thank you, your highness,” the woman responded. “Please, call me Sofia.”

“Of course.” Leading the way in she made the introductions. “Loki, This is Mrs. Sofia Derain, the personal shopper Jarvis sent for. Sofia, this is my husband, Prince Loki of Asgard and this is my friend, Darcy Lewis.”

Sofia’s eyes widened slightly upon hearing Loki’s name, but she gave no other sign of recognition or distress. Kat would count that as a win. “What shall you be using as the dressing room, your highness?” she asked.

Kat shot a pleading glance at Loki who rolled his eyes slightly before nodding. “Please, call me Ka-Maat. I know it’s a mouthful, but I’d like to be informal while I’m not on official business or at the Embassy. We can use the bedroom for the dressing room and then come out to show Loki our outfits.”

“Why?” Darcy asked.

“Huh? Oh, Loki has great taste, plus he knows what Ambassador Neriðr will be able to deal with or not so far as my wardrobe goes. We’re kind of limited there.”

“Gotcha.”

They waited while Sofia herded her assistants and the trunks into the bedroom. Finally, the woman emerged to beckon them in as the young men in the group came out and stood against the wall. “They’re all design interns,” she confided to Kat and Darcy as they entered. “But most husbands are unwilling to have young men attend their women with dressing and undressing. I thought it best to err on the side of caution?”

Chuckling Kat thought about Loki’s reaction if the guys had been helping them change. “Probably. He wouldn’t actually _do_ anything, but he’d make comments guaranteed to shrivel their junk.” She swallowed an outright laugh at Sofia’s expression. “Sorry; that was the most polite way I could think of to put it. I’m a bit on the outspoken side. You get used to it.”

“Has his hottieness?” Darcy asked with a smirk.

“Well, kind of. He treats my bluntness as his own personal source of amusement.”

“I’m certain,” Sofia murmured and then cleared her throat. “Now then; let’s get the two of you in your first outfit.”

… …

Loki had thought to amuse himself by intimidating the boys who had accompanied Mrs. Derain, but they refused to cooperate. They all stood like good little statues against the wall wearing impassive expressions and staring straight ahead. Certainly he could _say_ something to them that would frighten them out of their wits, but there was no challenge in such. He gave it up as too inconsequential to bother with, poured another few fingers of the whiskey then tried not to smile when the boys all relaxed slightly. They _had_ been intimidated yet had refused to show it. How lovely…and impressive of them. Now that he knew he had their attention, he could move on to vocal intimidation without having lost ground. Just as he opened his mouth the bedroom door opened to allow Kat and Darcy’s return. “Interesting,” he said to them.

Their dresses appeared to be similar in theme; he assumed they were from the same designer. However the one worn by Darcy Lewis was a bit bolder and a bit…freer, less reserved. Both were a trifle daring and showed a fair amount of their cleavage to good advantage. “It looks like you like it,” Ka-Maat said. “But will Neriðr accept it without squawking too much?”

He tilted his head slightly as he considered the question. “He will like this better than the Kemetic fashions you’ve worn since our wedding.” That wasn’t really an answer, but it was the best he could give. He truly did not expect the Ambassador to approve of any Midgardian fashions that Ka-Maat should choose to wear. He’d already expressed extreme disapproval of the elegant suits that Loki favored. Like most of Asgard’s nobles, the man had no sense of style or appreciation of fine things whatsoever.

“Wonderful,” she muttered. “I thought he just disapproved of me in general.”

“Oh, he does. Though perhaps it’s because you married me; he’s never approved of anything I’ve done or nearly so. He did approve of the treaty I negotiated for the Dökkálfar Alliance as I double-talked them into exclusive purchase rights to their Uru supply.” He couldn’t help a satisfied smile at the memory.

Ka-Maat turned and perused her reflection in the large mirror on the far wall. “Might as well,” she said with an annoyed twist to her lips. “Darcy, you look fantastic in that one,” she added.

“You think? I haven’t ever worn anything this, uh, high class.”

No surprise there. She was an earthy sort of young woman, definitely on the plebian side. His wife, by contrast, looked as though she were born to wear designer frocks. “It is lovely on you,” he agreed. “Flattering to both your figure and your coloring.”

“Thanks. But I probably can’t afford it, even on what Tony’s paying me.”

“Darling, did you not offer to provide this wardrobe for her?” he asked Ka-Maat.

“Yes, she’s being stubborn.”

“Prideful; I see. There will be none of that, Miss Lewis. You will be chaperoning an Asgardian Noble. That requires a certain degree of elegance of dress. Consider it being provided with a uniform, of sorts.”

“Okay, I can do that.” The girl’s grin was nearly contagious. Nearly.

Loki managed a polite nod as the women disappeared into the bedroom to change clothing. He sighed. “This is going to be a long afternoon,” he muttered, staring at the young men with narrowed eyes. “What _shall_ I do for amusement?” Aha. The one on the far left had paled and the one to his right shuddered. Yes, this could be delightful.

… …

“None of it is suitable,” Fastný muttered staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Jane sighed. “It’s all suitable; it just isn’t what you’re used to.”

The former warrior took a step forward in the modestly heeled shoes and wobbled. “How do you walk in these things?” she asked for at least the fifth time.

“Oh, come on; that’s only a one inch heel. Riding boots have higher heels than that.”

“Tis foolish.”

“It’s fashion, barely, even I know that much,” Jane said, trying hard to keep her exasperation under control. “Look, wear the damn shoes, you only have to have dresses for formal events, for everything else you can wear the slacks outfits we’ve picked out. You can even wear those with the ankle high boots.”

Fastný gave another disgruntled huff of air. “I suppose.”

“Look, Thor is waiting for us; do you want him to ask what’s taking so long? I will tell him that you’re being uncooperative.”

“And he’ll tell that whore. What more can she do to me than she’s already done?” the blonde whined.

“Jane? Is all well?” Thor’s over the top voice carried down the hall to the upscale dressing room.

“Fine, take all of it,” Fastný grumbled.

“Yes, we’re almost done; just need to change into our street clothes and then we can head to lunch.”

“Ah, good. I could use a meal.”

“Best order him two, or even three. He may not be Volstagg, but his appetite at mealtime is similar.” Fastný tugged the pullover sweater down over her hips. “Though to be fair, Volstagg considers the entire day mealtime, whereas Thor follows the normal mealtimes customary in Asgard.”

“Oh, I forgot to ask; are you still Asgardian…ah, I mean Æs? Or are you human?”

“She made me a motley combination of the two. I am as durable and resistant to your diseases as an Æsir female, but only as strong as a mortal one,” she replied as they walked down the hall to rejoin Thor.

“Nay, Ka-Maat did no such thing,” Thor corrected, having heard Fastný’s loud complaint. “The All-Father took away your strength. He shall return it when you have fulfilled your karma and earned restoration.”  

“I should need earn nothing! I am a warrior of Asgard,” she seethed.

Jane shook her head. If this was her attitude it didn’t take a psychic to predict that they’d be stuck with her for a very long time. She was starting to feel bad for Darcy…her former intern was going to have to live with this crap. “Drop the attitude. I don’t deserve it and neither does Darcy,” she ordered, surprising herself. Punching a god in the face must have been more liberating to her psyche than she’d thought. “Your All-Father could have just dumped you in the middle of nowhere like he did Thor. You wouldn’t last a week.”

… …

“Nothing yet?”

Bruce looked up from the feed of information to where Nick Fury was standing with a mug of coffee clenched in one hand. “No. If you recall we found Loki and Selvig so relatively quickly because Tony had a hunch. The scans didn’t get results until after the battle was over. We’ve got a lot of planet to go through.”

The mug was plunked down on a worktable. “How long?”

“It could be days; maybe even weeks.”

“Weeks? That…goddamn.”

“Pretty much sums it up.” He watched out of the corner of his eye as Fury began to pace. Again. “You might want to think about switching to decaf.”

“Very funny. I thought Stark was the designated clown around here.”

“True, I’m strictly the sidekick but I can step up with the one liners when he’s called off to his board meetings. Seriously, Nick; we don’t need you having an aneurism and you’re so agitated you could work yourself up to one, or worse.”

“And what’s worse, doctor?” Fury grated.

Bruce shrugged, a small deprecating smile curing his lips. “You could annoy the other guy.”

“I don’t give a fuck what irritates Loki.”

“Uh, I was talking about _my_ other guy.”

Fury gave him a sharp look. “Oh.”

… …

Tony stepped off the elevator and headed directly for his bar. He hated Board meetings with a passion. “Where the fuck is my Jameson’s?” he asked after a fruitless search for his current favorite whiskey.

“Loki has it,” a quiet voice informed him. He spun, only then seeing Ka-Maat sitting on the leather sofa.

“Uh huh…did he leave me any?”

She shrugged. “Doubtful. He took it down to the lab with him; Dr. Banner wanted him to look at some readings he’d gotten. Don’t get excited, though. It was a false alarm. Loki’s helping him recalibrate the search parameters.”

“And you’re up where, why?”

“Waiting for you; I need your advice.”

“Okay.” The word was drawn out as Tony’s mind worked furiously. What would a goddess need his advice about?

“I kind of have a secret that Loki doesn’t know about. I didn’t intend to keep it from him, but if anyone else finds out and tells him, he’s going to be pissed.”

“No doubt.”

“I’m not sure how to tell him, or what kind of effect it will have if it gets out.”

He stared at her. This was a woman who lived as a pagan priestess and did kinky BDSM stuff. What secret could top that? “Uh huh. It must be one hell of a secret.”

“What? You haven’t already figured it out?”

“Princess I’ve figured out a lot of things, but something that would be more, shall we say, eventful if it got out than what I already know from the two of you, is still unknown…and mindboggling.”

“Oh. Darcy figured it out, I thought you must have.”

“Now you’ve hurt my feelings.”

“She called me on my blasé attitude toward all of the designer clothes and the personal shopper and such. I didn’t get that from Asgard or from Vegas.”

Tony stared at her for a minute as his brain shifted gears. “Jarvis, you’ve got the parameters, buddy, who is she?”

“From the data collected, the Princess Ka-Maat likely was one Katherine Astor Thompson, also known as Kitty Thompson. Ms. Thompson disappeared in Two-thousand and one, leaving behind a suicide note. No trace of the missing young woman was ever found, living or dead. There is a ninety-seven point six percent probability that the princess is the missing woman.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Daughter, actually.”

“Uh huh.”

She shrugged again. “You and Loki had daddy issues. My mother was my issue. When she found me wearing a collar my boyfriend had given me, she hit the roof. I would not be permitted to embarrass the Astor family in such a vulgar way. Her problem was that it was a collar, not a wedding ring. The females in the family were often expected to be doormats, which is her definition of submissives.”

“Did she actually know you when she came up with that definition? Never mind. I’m going to have to tell Pepper so she can handle any PR fallout. Eventually someone’s going to recognize you…unless you had cosmetic surgery?” he asked hopefully.

“Not unless you count what Isis did to me.”

“Yeah, no. First, though, you’ve got to tell Loki.”

“Tell me what?”

… …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of an odd place to end it, but going into the next part would make it far too long and take another week or more. I didn’t think you’d want to wait. There is no Katherine Astor Thompson. However, there are many variations of those names within the Astor family tree, and there was even a Kitty. My character of Kat is not based on any of these persons and is totally fictional.


	27. The Princess was Never a Pauper

Kat’s stomach clenched. She so did not want to have this conversation with Loki. “Well, you know the comment Darcy made about silver spoons?”

“Yes. Are you going to explain what that meant?”

“Yeah. People born into wealth and privilege like Tony…”

“Hey!”

“Shut up, Tony. Just because your dad was an ass doesn’t mean your life didn’t fall into that category. I was the stereotypical poor little rich kid just like you.” He waved a hand at her and subsided. “Anyway, they’re said to have been born with a silver spoon in their mouths because people of lesser means use lesser materials for not just spoons, but everything. It doesn’t matter if they had a crappy family life; only the wealth and such is considered with that label.”

“Understood.”

“My family was once one of the richest in the Western Hemisphere. Definitely the richest in the United States. Their fortunes were eclipsed about forty years or so ago by the recent class of billionaires like the Starks, but my family had noble roots as well so they’re also called Blue-Bloods.”

“That phrase I’ve heard before. No wonder you took so well to being served as a princess deserves.”

She nodded. “My mother was the female equivalent of your or Tony’s father. Treated me like nothing but an inconvenience or a piece of property to sell off to the bidder who met her standards of wealth or nobility. She was really hoping I’d catch the eye of one of the European Royals, but they…well, I purposely scared them off. They were all pretty boring.”

“They had no Dom tendencies.”

“Exactly. I was dating a, uh, successful musician who didn’t just have tendencies, he was living the lifestyle. Mother had a total fit.”

“A successful musician wasn’t good enough for you?”

“If he’d been a classical musician, maybe; but he was a rock star, and yes, I know that doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it does. I’ve heard the term and have seen them on your television.”

“Oh. Okay. But that wasn’t even the worst part; he eventually collared me and that was what launched her into a full-on rage.”

“Did she hurt you physically?” Loki’s voice made the question sound deceptively gentle. Kat looked up at him and saw the rage she expected in his eyes. She set her jaw and didn’t respond. “I asked you a question.”

“Let it go; I have.”

… …

“No one harms that which is mine.” Kat flinched slightly and Loki worked to rein in his temper. This was _not_ his lady’s fault.

Kat visibly bristled and straightened. Her jaw set in that stubborn look he had come to know so well. “You see? _This_ is why I didn’t volunteer anything about my background. No, Loki. I will not answer that and you will _not_ go after my former family. The last thing you need is another reason for either Odin or Earth to decide you need to be locked up…or worse.”

“You are my wife,” he ground out.

“Yeah, right, _good bye city life_ , my ass. I’m your _wife_ , Loki. I’m not your slave. Outside of the bedroom I’m now your equal, a princess and goddess in my own right of a pantheon that rivals yours for power. This isn’t _Green Acres_ , this is real life and I will not let you destroy what you’ve gained by taking revenge on people who no longer have the power to hurt me.”

What in the Nine was a ‘Green Acres’? His eyes narrowed as he studied her angry expression. Stark was, wisely for once, staying out of it. The man had retreated to his bar and was pouring a drink. Loki nodded as their host raised the glass with a questioning lift of his eyebrows. “Thank you,” he muttered as it was handed to him and then downed the contents. Kat…Ka-Maat, he reminded himself, was still staring at him, arms folded across her chest. “I cannot stand the thought of any doing you harm,” he told her softly. “I cannot allow them to walk away from this unscathed. Can you understand that?”

“Loki, I’m the woman who called Odin sadistic in front of all of Asgard’s nobility. Do you _really_ think I didn’t make them pay for how they treated me?” She gave a disgusted half snort and raised an eyebrow.

He remembered quite well how she had faced down Odin before calling on Isis. Fear for his then mortal love had all but stopped his heart. “What did you do?” remaining as calm as he could manage.

“I ruined them. I faked my death and my supposed suicide note spilled the beans about everything they’d done to me, all of their ambitions for what I could bring them, and a good bit of the crap they were pulling on other people to make more money. When it hit all of the news outlets the stocks in every company my family had interests in plummeted. They lost hundreds of millions of dollars. Mother was no longer accepted in what she considered polite society and an invitation for her to take tea with the Queen of England was withdrawn. My father was informed he was persona non grata at his clubs and was _asked_ to resign from all of his Boards. Their world was shattered. I’ve had my revenge.”

“They’re still pretty well off financially,” Tony commented. “But to this day they’re not even considered B-list guests at anything. You were pretty popular among the up and coming generation, kiddo.”

“Really? Then why the hell did none of the corporate types Gwen kept setting me up on blind dates with ever recognize me?”

“Uh…dunno. I mean, I didn’t recognize you, but most of my interest was in the, uh, more available type of women.”

“The bored trophy wives you could use and then walk away from?” The billionaire winced. “Yeah, you were marriage shy, I get it. I guess maybe it’s because I didn’t go to many cocktail parties or tech launches, so you would never have seen much of me.”

“Huh. Jarvis, any ideas?” Loki frowned at Stark. Why was he pursuing this? “If it’s something we can identify, Pepper can use that to address any rumors before they spread.” Ah, good point, Loki thought.

“Yes, sir. Miss Thompson was quite thin, had short straight hair, and a larger bosom.”

“Uh, princess?”

Loki bit back a smirk when Ka-Maat rolled her eyes. “I no longer had my mother literally measuring every last damn bite of food I ate or forcing me to work out in the gym until I dropped. I didn’t have her fucking hairdresser straightening my hair because, you know, it’s slutty when it’s natural, and my boobs only looked bigger because I was so goddamn skinny.”

“Language, love.”

“Oh, poop on language! Don’t bring up things like this and I won’t use bad language. Much.”

He finally lost the battle against a grin and gathered her close. “I apologize, darling. I definitely prefer you as I found you in Las Vegas over what Tony’s servant described.”

“Thank you.”

… …

Tony let out the breath he’d been holding. “Are we all good now?”

Loki chuckled. “Yes, Tony. We are good, as you say. Is it all right if Tony shares this information with the redoubtable Miss Potts?” he asked the woman nestled in his arms.

“Yes, I guess she’s got to know so she’s prepared.”

Clapping his hands together, Tony nodded. “Great. I’ll give Pepper a call. I’ve got to follow up with her anyway on whether she’s had a further contact with the Hydra agents claiming to be S.H.I.E.L.D. since the Triskelion fell. Uh, is she taking my calls yet, Jarvis?”

“Yes sir. She left three emails which you have yet to read.”

“Damn. Guess I’d better get on that.”

“Indeed sir. Mr. Stark, I would have informed you had Ms. Potts needed assistance.”

“I know, J. Thanks, buddy.”

Ka-Maat slipped out of Loki’s embrace. “I’m worn out. All of this rehashing ancient history is emotionally exhausting so I’m going to bed. To sleep,” she clarified, frowning as her husband smothered a downright lascivious grin.

“Of course, my dear. I shall be there shortly.” They watched the elevator doors close before Loki spoke again. “Tony? What in the name of the Valhöll is a _Green Acres_?”

Tony found himself staring at the god for a moment before totally cracking up.

… …

“Kat, are you certain you wish to sleep?” Loki asked her as he closed their suite’s door behind them.

She gave him her best frown, only giving it up when his lips twitched. “Not buying it, huh?”

“No, my dear. But it has been a long day, I will excuse you if you truly need sleep.”

Technically he didn’t have to; they were in their bedroom, which meant she was back to being his toy and nothing more since they didn’t have anything scheduled until morning. Him leaving it up to her was really sweet; he was probably trying to make up for overreacting to her revelation about her background. Oh, screw it; she’d sleep later. Sidling up to him she rubbed her cheek against his silk shirt. “Your toy would love to be played with a bit before you let her sleep,” she begged.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Because your toy is always so very needy?”

“Show me how needy you are,” he challenged.

Kat thought about it for a bit then began slowly removing her clothing while backing into the bedroom. By the time she’d reached the bed and stepped out of her panties, Loki was looking very predatory and that expression alone made her damn hot. She lifted her butt up onto the bed and spread her legs as wide as possible, exposing her already glistening sex. Running a finger between her folds she then raised it for his inspection; it was covered in her fluids. “So very needy,” she told him before sucking it into her mouth and moaning.

His breathing was quickening and his gaze was heated. “Spread yourself open, I want to see your hot quim dripping for me.” She did as she was told and then waited for further instruction. “Very lovely, my darling slut. Rub your clit for me.” Her fingers moved rapidly over her clit, making her own breath shudder. “Harder, love. I want to hear you moan your need.”

Pressing down hard as she rubbed the now swelling bud, a moan emerged involuntarily; she’d have been hard pressed to hold it back if he’d ordered silence. As she continued the stimulation, her moaning trailed off into a whimper. “Please,” she gasped.

“Harder; but don’t you dare cum until I’ve given you permission.”

Bastard. But goddess, she loved it. Kat rubbed her swollen clit so hard and fast it began to hurt. An orgasm had built and she struggled to hold it back, tears leaking from her eyes as the need began to overwhelm her. “Loki, please! I need to cum, please let me cum!”

“Stop.”

She stared at him in shock but complied, sobbing softly. “Please,” she whispered, since he hadn’t ordered silence.

“Fingers in your cunt,” he told her. “Three,” he added when she obediently slid two inside. They hadn’t had vaginal sex for nearly a week, so the fit was tight and she moaned as they filled her snugly. “Fuck yourself,” he ordered. “Hard and fast, but do not cum.”

The tears were flowing freely now as she began to thrust three fingers in and out of her very needy canal. It didn’t take long for a vaginal orgasm to build and she whimpered with the effort of denying the release. “Oh goddess…Loki, please, I can’t.”

“You can and will,” he said as he began, finally, to remove his own clothing. Watching him through her tears as she struggled against cumming, she almost missed the shimmer of power that told her he was up to something. It wasn’t until the bed sank behind her and she felt the familiar caress of his hands over her nipples that she knew what.

“You may stop fucking that wet hole, my toy. Now get on your knees and hold on to the bedpost,” a second Loki told her. She struggled to her knees, thighs still slightly spread, and held on to the post. His hands parted her ass cheeks and a well-lubed finger nudged its way into her anus. Another moan emerged as he pulled it back out and replaced that one finger with two. “That will do, I think,” Loki Two said and slipped to the edge of the bed, laying down on it with his long legs hanging over the edge.

She looked at the other Loki questioningly. He gave her an infuriating smile and walked away, returning with a set of nipple and clit clamps joined by a y-shaped chain. He attached the nipple pair a bit roughly, the way she loved it and then beckoned her to move. “Mount his cock with that sweet ass, my slut,” Loki One ordered. Shuddering, she aligned her anus with the hard cock and lowered herself slowly. Fortunately they had been enjoying anal sex regularly, so while it was uncomfortable as he hadn’t really stretched her, it didn’t hurt. She moaned again as her ass was stuffed full. “Lean back.” She did and Loki Two reached around and spread her folds so that Loki One could attach the clit clamp. This was done gently - no doubt because she was so close to orgasm, and then he walked over to the toy chest.

“Loki, please, I need to cum so bad it’s starting to hurt,” she whimpered as Loki Two began squeezing her breasts while gently thrusting up into her ass. His arms were trapping her own against her body; she so loved being helpless while being used.

“Oh, it will hurt, my love,” Loki One told her as he returned with a crop. He moved into position and pressed the engorged head of his hard cock into her dripping hole. The pressure almost made her cum on the spot. “Don’t you dare,” he growled as he felt her tense.

“Trying not to.” Kat managed to hold back the threatening orgasm, barely, whimpering with the effort. Loki’s cock slid home and the pressure of it against his double’s cock already seated in her ass very nearly made her lose what little control she had. “Love this,” she gasped.

“I know you do. You are, after all, my perfect toy, my very beautiful slut.” With that praise he began thrusting in her heat and Loki Two thrust up to meet him. She screamed as the intense sensations rushed through her, her orgasm stopped only by a purposely painful tug on the chains connecting the three clamps. “Not yet, Kat,” he admonished as they continued to fuck her well-stuffed holes.

A haze overtook her, pleasure overwhelming any sense of self. There was only the stimulation of every nerve she had in her ass and her cunt, the tugging of the clamps making her nipples and clit blaze with fire as those nerves transmitted even more pleasure to her foggy brain. She screamed as the last of her control slipped away in the torment of ecstasy. “Please!”

… …

Loki grinned as his so-slutty toy screamed for permission to orgasm. His double returned the fierce smile. He nodded and prepared the crop as his double took charge of the chains. “Please, what?” my darling toy?” he asked.

“Let me cum, Loki,” she wailed. “Please let me cum!”

“Cum for me, love,” he told her as his double yanked the clamps from her nipples and clit. The moment they were released, he struck each one in succession with the flat end of the crop, starting with her swollen clit, then each purpled nipple and finishing again with the clit.

Kat screamed and bucked as fluid ejaculated from her quim and both of her canals seemed to contract around his cock. “Yes!” she screamed again. “Fuck me, please, never stop fucking me!”

He laughed as they continued to thrust into her tight heat. Her eyes rolled up into her head as she descended completely into sub-space, now keening wordlessly. His double took hold of her breasts, squeezing and twisting her nipples as he neared release. Loki discarded the crop and took her hip in a harsh grip with one hand and used the other to press his thumb down on her clit. Kat was gasping, muscle spasms running through her body as she continued to orgasm. They, being one, were ready to cum together, and as they filled her ass and cunt his beautiful slut screamed again. “Never,” he told her as the scream died down to a whine. “I could never stop fucking my perfect slut.”

After dismissing his double and catching his breath, Loki fetched a wet cloth from their en-suite bathroom and cleaned up the dripping mess he’d made of his toy. Once he was satisfied, he lifted her and placed her completely on the bed, her head cradled by her pillow. Laying down beside her, he tucked her in and wrapped her safe in his embrace. “Love you,” she whispered.

“And I love you, my precious and only love,” he returned. “Always.”

… …

“Sam who?” Tony asked Jarvis. It was too late for visitors.

“Wilson, sir. He states that Captain Rogers is his friend and sent him for technological assistance. Records indicate the gentleman is a decorated Air Force veteran from AFSOC.”

“Hunh. Any weapons on him?”

“None apparent to my scans.”

“Okay, bring him on up.” He waited patiently, for him, until the elevator doors open. “So, I hear you’re a buddy of Stevarino’s,” he opened with to gauge the man’s reaction.

The tall, muscular African-American frowned slightly. Predictable. Spangles wouldn’t have friends who could take a joke. “Has he heard you call him that?” the man said with a slight grin. Or maybe he would.

“Nah, I usually call him Captain Spangles. The first suit S.H.I.E.L.D. came up with for him was kind of, uh, glittery.”

“Ouch. He must have hated that. Bet he wore it like a trooper, though.”

“He did. So what have you brought me?” Tony asked, clapping his hands together as he eyed the wrapped bulky bundle Sam Wilson carried. The bundle was placed on the floor and Sam began opening it. “Looks like some kind of glider?”

“Experimental wings designed for pararescue operations. They’re motorized, to an extent, so that the wearer can fly independently for brief periods. Worked pretty great until the Hydra fiasco happened. I was helping Steve out because he didn’t know who he could trust anymore. They got trashed during the battle.”

“Damn. Sorry about that; I was hospitalized at the time, had to get my ticker fixed…some old shrapnel removed.” He tapped his chest where the arc reactor had resided.

“No problem. Can you take a look at it and maybe fix it?”

Tony examined the remains of the wings. Bulky, awkward, and heavy as all hell, he decided after hefting them. “Seems like a straightforward design, but I can do more than just fix it - I can make you a better set. Lighter, more maneuverable, more durable. Oh, and probably capable of more sustained flight. Interested?”

“Absolutely. I promised Steve I’d help out whenever he needed me.”

“He didn’t need you to track his old buddy?”

Sam’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I don’t have any super stuff; without the wings I’m just a tough vet. He figured he’d have a better chance without me since he wouldn’t be worried about me getting killed. Steve doesn’t think the guy can go through with killing him, but me? The Winter Soldier wouldn’t think twice about it if I got in his way.”

“No doubt. Okay, let’s get this down to my workshop so I can get started.”

… …

“What am I to tell tales of?” Fastný whined as they got ready to head over to the library for her first day of storytelling.

“I don’t know. What kind of stories did you tell on Asgard?” Darcy was getting sick and tired of the pity party the bitch kept throwing for herself. Geez, it wasn’t like she didn’t know she could get everything back she’d lost if she just stopped being such a self-centered asshole. It was too damn early for this shit.

The blonde shrugged. “My prowess with women.”

“Uh, no. Not unless you want to be taken as a lesbian.”

She frowned before the word translated. “Not particularly; though I’ve no objection to those who love their own gender. Else I told glorious tales of my prowess as a warrior.”

“Hmm. If you could tell them in the third person, like you were telling the stories of some mythical hero that might work. You could even slip in stories in the romance department too…just no sex, you’ll be talking to very young and impressionable kids.”

“Eh, I could tell them the legends of Fandral the Dashing, noble warrior of Asgard.”

Darcy shook her head. “You really are full of yourself, aren’t you? I thought you were supposed to learn some humility and how to think of others before yourself?”

“When I’m so fascinating and magnificent, who else matters?”

“I’m gonna have to ask Tony about setting up a retirement fund. This is going to take freaking forever.”

… …

They stood between rows of bookshelves that stood nearest the storytelling alcove. “She’s really quite the storyteller,” Tony mused as he quite obviously fought back a yawn.

Loki huffed his annoyance. “She’s telling a tale of when we sought a magical item on Álfheim. Tis not fiction, but actually happened.” He listened a few moments longer. “Not quite that way, however. I killed the damned bilgesnipe, not Fandral the Useless.”

Tony choked on his laughter and Loki helpfully patted his back…being careful not to put too much force into it. “I’m sure that’s not how he remembers it,” the human finally managed. “Okay, looks like Darcy’s got this, so let’s get out of here.”

“Just one damn minute, Daddy Warbucks,” a distinctly annoyed voice growled as the young woman herself rounded the end of the shelves. “I know you don’t like to be handed things so I texted you a list of demands and copied in Pepper. You will be giving me a retirement plan, paid medical, and paid vacation. A _lot_ of paid vacation, got it? Otherwise you’re going to have to find another keeper for this douchebag. She doesn’t get it, she’ll never get it, and I’m going to be stuck with her and won’t ever be able to have a real career.”

“Um, think of it as job security?” Tony suggested.

“Um, how about not.”

“Miss Lewis; perhaps you might want to see if Ka-Maat has any idea of a timeframe for the rehabilitation. She did see the end result clearly,” Loki offered, deciding to give his only human friend an assist. Perhaps his only friend to whom he was not related, he thought ruefully.

“I’ll just do that. But that doesn’t get you off the hook, Mr. Stark.”

“Hey, didn’t I tell you? You get the same benefits as Stark Industries direct employees. I’m sure I told Pepper,” Tony claimed. Loki could feel the lie but let the genius get away with it since it was not directed at him or his lady.

“Humph. I’ll bet Pepper doesn’t know a damn thing about it.” After that astute statement, the girl flounced off.

“Tony, I suggest you call Miss Potts immediately.”

“Already on it, Dancer.”

… …

Kat listened with half an ear as Neriðr went over their schedule for the rest of the day. They were expected to entertain United Nations and US State Department flunkies at a dinner, oh joy. At least the chosen restaurant had a decent menu. She’d nearly zoned out as their Councilor turned Ambassador read through the lengthy list of attendees when a name caught her attention. “Hold up. Did you just say Lewis Aldrich?”

“I did, your Highness.”

“The second or the third?” Neriðr leaned forward and showed her the listing; it had the Roman numeral ‘III’ following it. Oh, shit. “Um, Loki?”

Her husband had been in Dom mode all morning and now he favored her with a baleful look. “Close relative, darling?” he asked in a falsely sweet tone.

Despite having assured her that he didn’t have a problem with her revelation, he’d been distinctly pissy about anything even remotely associated with the discussion. While she suspected he was angry about not being the first male to collar her or to hold her heart, he wouldn’t even come close to admitting it. That didn’t necessarily bother her since she’d gotten awesome sex out of his need to prove he was better than any other lover she’d had. “My cousin, Lewis Astor Aldrich the third. We weren’t emotionally close, but we were forced to spend a lot of time together. He’ll recognize me.”

Loki frowned as he considered the problem. “I could do a glamour on you, but that would not prevent him from seeing official images. Neriðr, would you petition the All-Father to approve my altering the gentleman’s memory regarding his cousin’s features, or simply blind him, perhaps?”

“Loki,” Thor chided in his usual deep rumble.

“Absolutely not.” Neriðr huffed. “There will be others, I am certain. We shall simply deny any claims of recognition that are made.”

“He’s about as stubborn as I am,” Kat informed them dryly. “Can I just skip this thing?”

“That, Princess, is not an option.” When the Ambassador gave her what she was certain he thought was a quelling look it took every ounce of willpower she had not to laugh at him.

“Fine. I’ll take him aside and tell him the truth before he recognizes me. He ended up better off, he should be willing to keep quiet. If he’s not, I could always give him his Karma.”

“My lady, neither course of action would be wise,” Neriðr informed her.

“Then make a better suggestion,” Loki snapped. Sounded like he’d had enough of the Ambassador’s negativity too.

A chime sounded, distracting them, before the voice of Tony Stark’s AI began to speak. “Begging your Highnesses’ pardon. Mr. Stark is on the line for you with urgent news.”

“Put him through,” Loki said. “Perhaps he’s heard from Miss Potts.”

... ...

“Loki?” Tony asked as J put him through. “Need you and Thor over here, buddy. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a target. The readings are off the charts.” He glanced over to where his Science Bro, Doctor Foster, and Nick Fury were discussing the readouts on several holographic screens. “The energy spikes are way higher than they should be, even if they’ve got every last damn tesseract based weapon made there with that scepter. Fury won’t admit it, but he’s pretty freaked.”

Silence reigned for several long moments before Reindeer Games finally spoke. “That is...not good.”

Tony snorted. “You have a gift for understatement.”

“We’ll be there momentarily. Expect us where we last appeared.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you up there - end the call, Jarvis.”

“Already done, sir.”

“Guys, I’m heading upstairs to meet our experts. Don’t do anything fun without me.” He ignored Fury’s glare as he bounded into the elevator and waggled his fingers as the doors slid closed. “Old bastard is going to have a stroke if he doesn’t lighten up,” he muttered.

“Unlikely, sir. Director Fury’s vitals are all at optimal levels.”

“Raining on my parade again, J. What have I told you about that?”

“Apologies, sir.” The AI didn’t sound the least bit sorry.

“You need to work on your false sympathy. That was much too gleeful.”

“As you wish.”

Loki and Ka-Maat were standing in the lounge area when he arrived. Thor was pacing in front of the windows. “Long time no see.”

“We were here less than fifteen hours ago, Stark.”

He rolled his eyes at Loki’s tone. “It’s Tony; you promised.”

“In fact, I did not. I promised to _attempt_ to call you Tony.”

“He’s got you there.” The redhead had joined her husband in smirking at him. Great.

“Fine, whatever. Let’s get down to the lab.” Thor strode past the pair and beat him into the elevator. “Eager to see Miss Thing?”

“Pardon?”

“He means Jane, it’s kind of a way to say she’s special,” Ka-Maat explained with a perfectly innocent expression that probably saved his butt from a literal hammering. “Thank you for the great timing, Tony,” she continued, still sounding sincere.

“Uh, you’re welcome?”

“You got us out of a State Department dinner that was supposed to be attended by my cousin.”

Pepper...he hadn’t heard back from Pepper. “J, get Ms. Potts on the phone, would you, buddy?”

“Connecting Ms. Potts.”

“What is it, Tony?”

“Any ideas yet on our princess problem? She narrowly avoided running into her cousin today.”

“You didn’t read your email again.”

“Um, been busy in the lab, tracking stuff for the Pirate?”

“Of course you were.” Her sigh was audible and drawn out. He winced. “Our legal experts are recommending simple denial if any rumors surface. I had Jarvis expand the history of the identity she’d been living under in Nevada. If anyone checks they’ll find school records and a birth certificate as well as a name change petition from Katarina Franklin to Kat. Read your email and you’ll find the packet to print out for everyone’s review. We can’t do anything about her fingerprints matching; Jarvis can’t access the files of someone who was declared legally dead.”

Loki chuckled. “That we can handle, assuming he can replace the fingerprints for her Vegas identity.”

“I can, Prince Loki,” Jarvis responded.

“Good. First we’ll look to see if her current fingerprints match those on record. If they do not, we can simply replace them. If they do, I shall alter the pattern on her fingers and then they can be scanned and the records can be replaced.”

“Wait, why wouldn’t they match?”

“I died, Tony. Isis changed my DNA when she resurrected me; that might have affected my fingerprints as well,” Ka-Maat said quietly. “It’s not something I even considered.”

“Let me know when it’s taken care of,” Pepper said. “Then I’ll be able to tell legal to offer to compare them if we have anyone questioning her identify.”

“We’ll do that, Pep, thanks.”

... ...

Bruce moved data, stared at the results, and moved data again. He took off his wire-rimmed glasses, cleaned them, and put them back on. Nothing changed. “This is bad.”

“No shit, doctor,” Nick Fury ground out. “What did they find?”

“What did they do with what they took from your complex might be the more accurate question,” Bruce retorted. “The readings were unstable and then spiked suddenly. That argues…” he broke off as Tony and his royal guests hurried into the room. “It’s gotten worse,” he told them.

“I see that,” Tony murmured, looking over the various displays and then moving them around in much the same way Bruce had.

“What were you going to say?” Fury asked.

“Oh. We’d found a source of readings that looked promising,” he explained to the new arrivals. “While Tony was bringing you downstairs they destabilized and then spiked. Significantly.”

“They’re now close to the levels we got when the Bifröst opened, when Loki came through the portal connected to the Tesseract, and when he created the portal for the Chitauri,” Jane clarified.

Loki’s bright green eyes - that still shook Bruce as he recalled the eerie blue they’d been when he’d first seen the god - drifted shut as he grimaced. “They have a magic user,” the god said.

“You’re not talking about a stage magician, I take it?” The director looked like he’d swallowed something vile. “You’re talking about motherfucking actual mystic shit.”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Loki took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. “A bona fide mage may have attempted to…ah, _collect_ , I suppose the best word would be, the energy from the weapons you created and use them to augment the power of the gem in the scepter.”

“Making it more powerful and better able to control someone?” Tony asked.

“Worse.”

“How the fuck could it be much worse…don’t answer that,” Fury interrupted himself. “I don’t think I wanna know.”

“Son of a bitch. They’re trying to build their own portal, aren’t they?”

“I suspect so, Tony. And that would be terrible news for all of us, here and in Asgard.” Loki blindly reached for his wife who moved into his arms, settling against his chest.

Bruce pulled up a stool and sat down heavily. He looked down at the hand that wasn’t holding on to the lab table and held it out to better see how badly it was shaking. “That’s…upsetting,” he decided.

“That’s fucking scary as all hell,” Fury snapped as he turned toward him. “Oh,” he said, his volume dropping as he noticed the shaking. “Maybe you should take a time out, have some tea, something?”

“Meditate. I’ll come back when I’ve calmed down.”

… …

“Well, at least we know where it is this time,” Tony muttered as he ran the coordinates through a GPS. “But we’re down half the team. Unless you can recall Cap, the Bird, and the Spider?” he asked a gray-faced Nick Fury.

“Hawkeye is on leave to visit his family. He won’t be thrilled about a recall, but he’ll do it. Romanov is dealing with Congress over the Project Insight fiasco; you’d have to get word to her that couldn’t be traced. No one has a clue where Rogers went. Apparently he had a run-in with a semi-mythical assassin and is chasing the fucker down. No one seems to know why other than the bastard is dancing to Hydra’s tune.”

“Um, Bird Brain has a family?”

“Yeah, some of us do.”

“That’s…kind of cute, actually. Do they know what he does?”

“Of course.”

“Does Romanov know he has a family?”

Nicky boy sighed. “They’ve worked together for a long time. What do you think?”

“I think she’s damn good at lying. She told me she didn’t know where he was.”

“What part of undercover operative did you not understand about her, Stark? She lied to you before and you bought it, what made you think she couldn’t do it again?”

“I’m not that gullible.”

Loki finally looked up from his princess and chuckled. “Yes you are.”

“Oh don’t give me that; she got a biggie past you.”

“Did she? Or did I allow her to believe that she had so that Dr. Banner ended up where I needed him?”

“Well…son of a bitch. Okay, enough of that crap. Let’s get Hawkeye and the Widow back on duty. That assassin is likely an old war buddy of Cap’s that supposedly died before he was lost. If Rogers is tracing him and the guy belongs to Hydra, then good old reliable Captain America might show up just when we need him.

“Hydra is regrouping to handle the artifacts they stole. Since the Winter Soldier is a prime asset, that would be likely,” Fury agreed. “We need to get moving, ASAP.”

… …

Steve edged around the roof’s stairwell entrance only to find that his stealth was wasted. Bucky…the Winter Soldier…stood there waiting for him, arms folded across his chest, mask in place. “You have a death wish,” his muffled voice said.

“You won’t kill me; you’re my best friend. You had a chance to do it and you didn’t.”

Empty shadowed eyes stared at him. “I’m beginning to regret it.”

With that, the black-clad figure was off and running again. Steve took off after him, leaping from roof to roof, using his shield as a counterbalance. He came to a stumbling halt on one roof when his target seemingly disappeared. “Come on, Bucky, don’t do this to me. Let me help you!” There was no response. “Look, you always helped me when I was in trouble, even when it was just because I was too stupid to be afraid.” Silence. He dropped down on his behind and tiredly rubbed his face with his free hand. He couldn’t remember when he’d last truly slept. Looking up he managed one more heartfelt word. “Please.”

“I’m not who you think I am.”

Steve looked up, scarcely believing his ears. “Aren’t you? James Buchanan Barnes, my best friend since grade-school. The tough guy that rescued me from bullies more times than I can count back when I was still small and sickly. Then you joined the army. I wanted to join too, but they wouldn’t take me.” Those familiar eyes stared at him impassively. “Then a scientist asked me to volunteer for an experiment and I became Captain America. You, me, and a bunch of other good soldiers went after Nazis together. Oh, come on, Buck, you’ve _got_ to remember!” He pushed to his feet and the other man stepped back warily. “I just want my friend back. Please.”

Bucky walked towards him, each step predatory. Steve could feel the hair on the back of his neck rise, but he wasn’t going to allow himself to be intimidated. “Continue to follow me and I will kill you.”

“No, you won’t. You didn’t back in DC because you remember, just a little.”

“I didn’t kill you before because you were not my target.”

“Bull. I was the target of every other Hydra asset out there. I seriously doubt they’d have excluded their best from those orders. Admit it; you remember something, that’s why you couldn’t do it.”

A wave of trembling ran through his friend’s tense body. “I-I don’t remember; I’m never allowed to remember…anything. It’s to protect me.”

“Oh for crying out loud! It’s to keep you under control. Can’t you see that?”

“Stop following me!” he yelled and delivered a roundhouse punch to the chest with his left arm, the bionic one.

Steve tumbled across the roof at the force of the blow, fighting every second to stop his backwards momentum and regain his balance. He was out of roof too soon to succeed. “Bucky!” he yelled.

As he fell head first over the side of the building it suddenly felt like a vise had been clamped around his ankle. He looked up to see a metallic hand grasping him and pulling him back up. Soon a flesh right hand reached down and helped him to his feet. Those familiar eyes looked tortured as Bucky pulled the mask from his face. “What are you doing to me?”

… …

Loki looked around the interior of the aircraft nervously. He’d ridden in airborne vehicles before, both on Midgard and in the other realms, but the associations with this particular one were not pleasant. His lips curled upward as he rethought that. After Thor had stolen him from the vehicle, Tony Stark had knocked Thor off the side of a rather large mountain. That had been a pleasant sight indeed. “Penny for your thoughts,” the genius offered.

“Surely you can afford more than that?”

“Ha. Yeah, but I figure you’d want to tell me anyway.”

He let a genuine smile emerge. “You are correct. I was recalling your and Captain Rogers first meeting with Thor.”

His brother groaned while Stark laughed out loud. “Yeah, that was fun.” Thor glared at his teammate. “Hey, Blondie, you touched my stuff. I hate it when anybody touches my stuff.”

“My brother was not your property, Tony Stark,” Thor grumbled.

“Possession is nine-tenths of the law; I had him, he was mine.”

“And none of that matters because he’s mine now,” Ka-Maat told them. His eyebrows rose. “And I’m his, and you’d all better keep your hands off of _our_ stuff unless you’ve got our permission.”

Both men stared at his lady who was favoring them with an annoyed look. Loki had to laugh. “Ah, darling; well said. They argue over absolutely nothing.”

Banner looked up from where he had been sitting in a corner, staring at the floor. “I’m attempting to meditate,” he informed them quietly. “It’s not going well.”

“Shutting up now,” Stark claimed as he pulled out one of his omnipresent devices and began to fiddle with it. “Are we almost there yet?”

… …

Hawkeye looked over his shoulder at the occupants of the Quinjet’s passenger area. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked Fury over the communicator.

“It’s the only goddamn idea we have.”

“I don’t like it. We can’t trust him.”

“Who do you suggest we do trust?” Tasha asked from the copilot’s seat. “General Ross? How about Alexander Pierce? Oh, wait, we _did_ trust him and that turned out _so_ well.”

“Get off my case, Tasha.”

“I was the one left holding the bag, Clint. If Stark’s legal department hadn’t come down on Congress, I’d be locked up and you know how well that would have gone. You were happy at home so don’t talk to me about trust.”

“That’s enough, Romanov,” Fury’s metallic toned voice told her, though there was no heat in it. “I’m responsible for that cluster-fuck, not Barton.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know you were in trouble until we saw you on the news. You know I had planned to retire. But Laura knew I couldn’t sit safe at home while you were in trouble.”

“So you left them again. If she loves you, why does she keep letting you go?” Tasha asked, still with that edge in her voice.

He ignored the question. His friend knew damn well that Laura was proud of what he did and that she’d never even suggest that he abandon a friend. “And hated it again. If that damned scepter weren’t involved I wouldn’t be here. Seriously, boss,” he said into the mike. “This is it for me. I can’t do it anymore, but I couldn’t let that thing stay in Hydra’s hands, even if it means putting it back in Loki’s.”

“Understood and agreed. Just do your family a favor and keep yourself in one piece so you can get back home alive instead of in a box.”

“That’s always the plan going in.”

… …

Steve rolled over and groaned. After asking him what he was doing to him, Bucky had hit him with the heel of his hand, the left one again, in the temple. He remembered everything going black. Turning on his phone, he checked the time. “Crap, four hours. I’ll never find him now.” Bleakly staring at the blue-tinted screen he frowned at the number of messages, all of them from Jarvis. He hit the button that speed-dialed Tony Stark’s AI. “Rogers here; what did I miss?”

“Sir, I note you are in Central Europe. The team is on their way. The Scepter confiscated from Prince Loki has been traced to a small republic there called…”

“Let me guess, Sokovia?” he asked, checking his GPS for his location. He may not understand the details of what made some of, okay, most of, Stark’s devices work, but like any good soldier, he learned to use whatever tools he was given and was grateful for the convenience of them.

“Indeed, Captain. Is your location secure?”

He took a quick look around. “As good as any. I’m on a flat roof near the south end of the town. It’s big enough for the Quinjet to land.”

“Very good, sir. I’ll advise them of your location, stand by for pickup.”

“Thanks, Jarvis.” He settled down against the wall that housed the stairwell egress to wait. “I just hope they have a jar of aspirin.”

… …

The Winter Soldier stared through the vent at the Baron and his associates. He should have reported for debriefing, have his memory wiped, but he couldn’t do it. The two enhanced youngsters knew he was there, but for some reason, seemed to be keeping his presence to themselves. The girl’s doing, no doubt. She glanced in his direction with a sympathetic smile and he nodded in thanks. Turning back to the Baron, she caught his attention. “It won’t hold,” she told him. “I cannot stabilize it; the power is too wild to contain.”

“We’ll find a way to stabilize it,” he insisted.

The girl shook her head, lips compressed.”It is too dangerous. You risk all of us.”

“The only way to achieve great gain is to take risks, you know this.”

“We did not sign up for this,” the young man with her said. “You promised us revenge on Tony Stark.”

“And what better revenge than to bring his greatest enemy back to Earth under our control?”

He’d seen tapes of the Battle of New York. It had not appeared to him that the supposed leader, Loki of Asgard, had been in control of the aliens. “You have no guarantee of that,” the girl said. “Pietro, it is time for us to leave.”

“Baron!” A flunky called out. “We’ve picked up an aircraft that matches the one used by the Avengers in our airspace!”

“Send out the troops and stop them.” The Baron gave an assessing look at the alien weapon encased in a force field. “You will make it work now,” he told the young woman.

“Wanda told you that she cannot,” Pietro snapped. “Forget about the weapon, if Stark is with them we are all the weapon you need.”

The Baron looked at the soldiers manning the scanning stations. “What are your findings?” he asked.

“We have positive reports of the Hawkeye, Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America.” The air moved in the room. By the time he could turn his head, the twins were gone. It was time for him to leave as well; he would not join in a battle against a man who might be his friend. It was time to go into hiding until he could find answers.

… …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, there is no Lewis Astor Aldrich, though all three names are in separate use in the family line he is a figment of my imagination. Yes, I’ve seen Age of Ultron and though I will be using some elements of it, this fiction will still remain largely AU. Feedback is appreciated!


	28. Foreign Relations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen Age of Ultron you might want to skip the end notes as there is a minor spoiler…I say minor, because if you’ve seen Iron Man 3 as this fic assumes, you already about know it. If you haven’t seen either…get thee to a movie rental for IM3 pronto!

“I don’t like this,” Natasha snapped as she landed the Quinjet on a rooftop further from their target where it would presumably be safe from collateral damage.

“Nor do I.” She grimaced at Loki’s agreement. She might not be thrilled to be working with him, but his agreement with her assessment unnerved her. And it could be worse; working with him had to be better than working against him. “I cannot sense their magic user,” he continued.

“Well that’s just peachy,” Stark said over the comm. “Can you still feel the energy that was gathered?”

“Yes. It has separated back into its individual components. Fortune was with us…this time. It appears she was not successful in holding it.”

“She?” Ka Maat asked.

Loki looked…startled. “Hmm. Yes, it is definitely a feminine energy. I did not realize until now.” He shrugged. “Not that it makes much difference.”

“It cuts down the number of suspects,” Natasha told him. Her eyes narrowed as he gave her a smug look.

“Does it?” Between the first word and the second his body shimmered and where the tall, lean Norse god of Mischief had stood was a tallish older woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. “A powerful enough magic user can change their appearance,” he informed her.

“Does it have to be to someone they know?” Ka Maat asked.

“Eh?”

The goddess sighed. “You made yourself look like Frigga. Can you make yourself look like someone you haven’t seen, someone you’ve made up?”

His temporarily feminine lips pursed thoughtfully. “Good question. Probably not as seamlessly. If I have to imagine all of the details then some may be, well, lacking.”

“Good to know. Can you change back now? I’d be more comfortable with my husband than with my mother-in-law.”

Natasha choked back a laugh at the irritated look Loki gave his wife. “I don’t think so, though I will change to another form, one not so obviously out of place.” He shimmered again and they were suddenly looking at Darcy. “We don’t want to tip our hand.”

“Good thinking,” she told them. “Ka Maat is still an unknown to them, they won’t know what to expect.”

Darcy’s mobile features frowned. “Still, they’ll suspect me if they see her.” Then the goddess began to shimmer and Jane Foster’s visage replaced hers.

… …

“Oh, no fair. You be Jane, I’ll be Darcy,” Kat told Loki as she caught sight of herself in the reflective surface of the cockpit’s windshield. “After all, I’ve got the boobs for it.”

They both shimmered again and their appearances switched. “True, and the mouth. You may indulge your predilection for inappropriate speech until I say otherwise,” Jane’s voice told her.

“Coolness. Wow, I even sound like her, kind of.”

“As close as I can manage. This won’t fool an audio analysis, nor will optical or fingerprint scanning be fooled.”

“Not a problem,” Natasha told them. “They wouldn’t have Foster or Lewis’s readings to compare to.” The spy pulled a dark wig over her burgundy hair and layered a loose skirt and peasant blouse over her leather catsuit. “Let’s get moving. Gentlemen in the field, we’re on our way. Dr. Banner, we’ll call you if we suspect you’re needed.”

“I’ll be waiting and hoping you don’t,” he said with a small smile, finally sounding calm. “Good luck.”

They followed Natasha down the still dark pre-dawn streets and soon the sounds of battle reached their ears. “This way,” the redhead told them. “We’ll go around from the other direction and see if we can enter undetected.”

… …

“So where is he, Cap?”

“Who?”

Tony sighed over the comm. “Your assassin buddy.”

“Damned if I know, he put my lights out and took off.”

“Wait…did you say an actual cuss word?” He gasped theatrically. “I-I’m so proud!”

“Let it go, Iron Man. We’ve got problems here.”

He chuckled as he checked readings on the HUD. “Hmm; J? What did they do? Empty the entire Fridge?”

“According to Director Fury, that is a correct assumption, sir.”

“Great. Did you all get that?” he asked the team.

“Affirmative,” Hawkeye responded. “Fucking Hydra moles. Tony, have you got Pepper secured? They don’t know about my…uh…civilian contacts.”

“Hate to tell you this, Big Bird, but if S.H.I.E.L.D. knew, then…”

“No, only Nick, Hill, and Coulson. It’s not in the records and everyone else but Tasha is out of the loop on this one too. Well, except you guys now.”

“Good deal. Pepper is taking precautions. Happy’s shadowing her twenty-four/seven.”

A feminine snort carried over the comm. “That’s not reassuring, Stark,” Natasha informed him. “I could and did take out every guard in a complex before he got past the first one.”

He sighed. Happy did his best, but they were talking about a brawler, not a trained martial artist. “Point taken. Don’t worry. Pepper can handle it. She’s got her own security set up that’s sufficient. Happy is more there to let me know what’s happening if she’s too busy.”

“I hope you’re right, Tony,” Spangles said. “Ms. Potts is a nice lady.”

“That she is; now let’s take care of this particular Hydra head so we can make sure she’s a little bit safer.”

… …

Nick glared at Phil Coulson. “What are you doing here? The Avengers aren’t authorized above a level six.”

“You made me the Director, I made them level seven,” Coulson returned equably. “I need the asset.”

“Fine.” Arguing with Phil had never gotten him anywhere even when he was still officially in charge. “How are your people doing?”

The former Agent frowned. “Simmons is fine, she’s babysitting Fitz. He’s not quite ready for duty yet, but he’s getting there.”

“And the two of you? Any…ah…”

“Complications?” The man grimaced slightly. “None for Skye, we’re not sure why not other than it hasn’t been as long. I’ve had some odd daydreams about formulas and numbers. That’s about it.”

“Good.”

Phil was giving him his patented disapproving look. “Why did you do it when I specifically asked…no, _begged_ you not to?”

His old friend had an honest beef with him. “I knew the Division was going south and I believe that you are the only one who has both the incorruptibility and the inner strength to keep the spirit of it alive. I felt that the world had no choice. We needed you. There was no one else.”

“Understood. I sincerely hope that your gamble pays off.”

“Me too.” It wasn’t forgiveness, but he’d damn well take what he could get.

… …

Hydra minions were scrambling like cockroaches out of a crack in a wall, Tony thought to himself as he used a repulser blast to create an opening in the…well, fortress was the only word for it, far enough from the power sources to not damage them. “Can of worms opened up, gang. Let’s collect our toys and go home.”

“You were supposed to distract them while we went in,” Loki complained. “This is hardly subtle.”

Tweety Bird snorted over the comm. “You thought someone who painted his armor candy-apple red and metallic gold was capable of subtlety?”

“Hey, red’s a great color and a great combination with gold. It means I’m as much a red-blooded American as Cap even if I’m as rich as Midas.”

“Your blood is only red when you’re bleeding,” Loki pointed out. “Else it is blue.”

“I’m supposed to be the funny one, Dancer. You’re worse than Jarvis with the raining on my parade.”

“Team!” Flag Boy’s voice shouted. “Oh crap, that wasn’t a good idea,” he then mumbled.

“Hung over, Cap?”

“Still have the mother of all headaches from Bucky putting my lights out. Now come on. Let’s do the job and get out of here.”

“I was attempting to do that job before Stark called the attention of every enemy in the area to the room we needed to infiltrate,” Loki snarled. Damn, Taz was really pissed. “He puts my lady at risk!” Oh. Well _that_ explained it. Oops.

… …

“Loki, it’s fine. Calm down,” Kat told him. “I’m shielding, they can’t hurt me and if you two stay close, they can’t hurt you either.”

“And you don’t know what their magic user is capable of,” he warned tersely.

“If I can shield against a goddess, three of them, then…”

“Three goddesses who adore you and had no wish to see you hurt.”

“They had no problem bruising me to teach me to do it right. Isis knew what I’d be facing, she made sure I could handle it. I trust her.”

“Still? After she slew you?”

Kat groaned. Loki was on a tangent and getting him off of it was going to be a pain in her ass. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s just grab the stuff and go. Um, where’s Romanov?”

He leaned around the corner and then pulled back. “Foolish git is going for the scepter. She cannot handle it. Romanov, stand down. Do not pass your human flesh into the energy field lest it destroy your neuromuscular connections.”

“Can you handle it?”

A glare told her he wasn’t so sure. “You’d best take charge of it. You, I think, are the least corruptible amongst us.”

“Huh; I’d have thought that would be Steve Rogers.”

“No; he would do anything to save a boon comrade. You would be strong enough to let them go if saving them meant choosing to do something you knew was otherwise wrong.”

She thought about that as she followed him to where a weapon that had to be the Scepter sat within some kind of energy field. “Not if it meant losing you.”

Loki smiled at her, rather sadly, she thought. “Even me, my sweet toy,” he whispered. “Now, that field is not harmful to us, take it.”

Kat reached into the energy barrier; it felt like she was pushing aside a curtain of liquid the consistency of paint and it tingled. Closing her fingers around the shaft of the weapon she felt a flare of energy race through her body. “That’s weird,” she told Loki, pulling it off of the stand and out of the field. “Oh crap; it’s…talking to me!”

“Yes, just do not listen to it; it lies, or at the least, exaggerates. Master it, darling.”

“Humph, says the Dom to the sub,” she muttered.

Loki laughed, startling Natasha Romanov who was busy collecting what few tesseract-powered weapons that hadn’t been grabbed by the Hydra forces who were fighting their friends. “Semi-submissive, my dear. As you have oft reminded me. You mastered your gifts, you can handle this.”

… …

“That was too close, J,” Tony told his AI.

“Apologies, Sir. Any other response would have resulted in a direct strike.”

“Too damn many of them.” His cockroach analogy was still holding. “Thor, buddy, can you light these bugs up, or what?”

“The energies in the atmosphere are preventing much of a storm from gathering to my call,” the big god informed him as he landed in the midst of a group of Hydra uniforms and swung his hammer as he spun in place. Bodies flew everywhere. “I must needs take them down the hard way.”

Cap’s shield flew through the air and disarmed several more thugs. “Nice shot,” he approved before turning his repulsers on the now empty-handed men. “I’ve got a small problem. I tried to take out one of them with my weapons and the S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon they were using exploded. It left a bit of a crater.”

“The crater was approximately three point three meters in diameter,” Jarvis clarified. “And three point seven five meters deep.”

“That’s significant, Tony,” Bruce’s voice cut in over the comm. “But I don’t see how the repulsers could do that.”

“It may be a residual effect of the magic user’s energy gathering destabilizing them,” Loki supplied. “We have the Scepter. Romanov has the unclaimed energy weapons - there weren’t many, and we are making our way out.”

“Good job. Iron Man?” Rogers paused. “ Why don’t I keep disarming them so you can take them down? I can move faster that way and it will keep us from more, uh, accidents.”

“Good old teamwork, huh?” He turned off the mike and muttered “Damn Boy Scout.”

… …

Loki had The Scepter. Loki Had The Scepter. LOKI HAD THE SCEPTER! The words kept running through his head, getting louder and louder as his anxiety built. He pushed the feelings aside as he continued to target Hydra agents. “Hawk, watch it,” Stark snapped at him as an explosion replaced his last target. “What about _the weapons are unstable_ did you not understand?”

The dust cleared and a huge hole was revealed. Shit. “Sorry, got distracted.” No more explosive rounds if they didn’t have standard weapons, he noted. A blur passed between him and the battlefield. “What the fuck was that?” he asked.

“What was what?” Cap asked. “Did you…” his voice cut off as Stark suddenly plummeted towards the ground. “Iron Man? Tony?” The armored figure stopped just short of impact and hovered.

Clint fumbled with the comm. “Jarvis, report on Stark’s condition,” he told the AI.

“Sir has been rendered unconscious. I registered an anomalous energy reading seconds before Sir’s brain waves shifted to REM and he collapsed.”

“Loki, what did you do to Stark?” Clint demanded. “I knew letting you get that damn Scepter back was a shitty idea.”

“In point of fact, I do not have it,” Loki informed them. “It is in the custody of Ka-Maat. I did nothing to Stark; have you forgotten Hydra has a magic user? I have not.”

“Shit.” He looked around for anyone, anything out of place and once again saw an odd blurring heading towards… “Cap, get moving, something funny’s coming your way.” Rogers wasn’t moving. “Goddamn it! Thor, can you get to Cap?”

“On my way.”

This was falling apart. He watched helplessly as Rogers dropped to the ground. “Cap is down, I repeat, Cap is down.”

“Hawkeye; what the fuck is going on out there?” Fury’s voice came over the comm. “Stark’s AI patched me in, says you may need backup. You’ve got four fucking gods with you.”

“Three,” Clint said, shocked as Thor collapsed. “Loki, whatever it is just took Thor down. I don’t know if you can protect yourselves, but…”

“We’re both shielding. One of us should be able to block their magic.”

He turned to jump off his perch to try and find Tasha. “I keep seeing some kind of…” he broke off as he all but walked into a young guy with blonde streaky hair who was suddenly standing behind him.

“Bet you didn’t see that coming,” the kid said with an obnoxious smirk before a blast of energy struck Clint from the side.

… …

“Natasha, get close,” Loki ordered. “We can’t protect you at this distance.” The woman nodded and headed their way, but not quickly enough. A flash of energy enveloped her and she collapsed. “By the…Romanov is down,” he reported.

“I’m heading your way,” Banner told him. “Getting a bit too angry to stay with the Quinjet.”

“Let us hope your beast is not affected by this magic,” he muttered.

A blur resolved itself into a young mortal as he bounced off of Ka-Maat’s physical shield and landed on his backside. “Well, I did not see _that_ coming,” he said dazedly.

Loki grabbed the boy, for he was not much past that by Midgard standards, by his hair and produced a set of shackles impervious to magic from his dimensional pocket, securing them firmly around the boy’s wrists. “No!” a female voice screamed. “Let him go!” He looked up in time to see a blast of power bounce as harmlessly from their combined shields as the youth had.

The equally young woman’s jaw dropped in shock. Loki smirked openly at her. “And you,” he purposely echoed the young man, “did not see _that_ coming, did you?”

She stamped one foot in what resembled nothing less than a child’s tantrum.  

“Loki, should I…” Ka-Maat trailed off, her hand held out uncertainly.

“No. We’ll question them first.” He looked back at the woman. “Whatever you did to them, I strongly suggest you reverse it. Our vengeance shall not be pleasant should you fail to comply.”

“ _Your_ vengeance? What of ours? Stark deserves this and more!” she insisted.

“We’ll see about that once they are all conscious. _Do it_ ,” he commanded. The girl’s face scrunched up petulantly. Loki had no patience for childishness so took the boy’s neck in his hands. “Fix what you’ve done or he dies. I have no care for his survival.” Ka-Maat’s eyes widened and her breath hissed in, but she did not question him.

“I-I cannot. They must ride it out; it should only last a short while longer.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I think.”

Truth, he thought with disgust. Damn child using power she had not fully mastered and did not fully understand. And far too much power at that. He looked around at the fallen Avengers, trying to decide which it would be safest to have her try to awaken naturally. “Go and awaken Thor as you would a dreamer. Do not try to escape him; he will not hurt you.” She hesitated. “ _Go_!” he ordered, shaking the young man in his grasp. The boy struggled, but could not escape.

“Fine,” she huffed and made her way over to his adopted brother. The girl shook Thor’s massive shoulder, or tried to. The effect was that of a gnat trying to move a tree. If their situation were not so serious, he would have laughed.

“Loki, the Hydra peeps are regrouping.”

“Let them. Banner’s beast…” A deafening roar drowned out the rest of his sentence as the hulking green brute bounded from between two buildings and launched itself at the gathering enemy. “Is here,” he concluded with a satisfied smirk.

“Let’s hope he recognizes us as friends.”

That might be an issue. While he was fairly certain the beast would not hurt his lady, it still might consider Loki as an enemy. “Hope indeed. Director?” he addressed Fury over the comm. “Any suggestions?”

“No, but I’d give my other eye to see him go after you.”

“If you gave your other eye you’d be unable to see aught.”

… …

“That’s not helpful,” Kat told the insufferable Nick Fury. “How do you calm him down if he targets the wrong people?”

“Damned if I know. The Widow has Hulk-duty.”

“Shit. Loki, I’m going to go try and wake her up. I’ll use my shielding in case she thinks I’m an enemy. In the meantime, use yours and just try to not look dangerous.”

His left eyebrow rose. “Seriously? I’m holding a mortal hostage; how do I look not dangerous to it?”

“Hmm. Um, sit down and hold the guy in your lap like he’s injured and you’re helping him? And you,” she continued, pointing at the bleach blonde. “Act hurt because if you don’t, the Hulk might make sure you are, got it?”

He swallowed as best he could in Loki’s grip. “Yes, ma’am,” he gasped.

“Teenagers,” she muttered in disgust as she headed for Romanov.

“I’m twenty-two,” he protested.

“You’re not acting like it,” she retorted and Loki chuckled. The girl kept shaking Thor’s shoulder and telling him to wake up. It wasn’t helping. Kat reached Natasha Romanov’s side and knelt down. “Agent Romanov?” she ventured loudly. Nothing. She tried again, this time, shaking the woman’s shoulder at the same time. “Tasha!” Still no response. “Damn it. Okay, let’s try this.” Raising a hand and preparing to fling herself backwards, she slapped the other redhead’s cheek, hard.

Before she could pull back the dark blue eyes flashed open and a surprisingly strong hand gripped her wrist. “ _Kakogo chyorta_ ,” the agent hissed. Kat smiled as it translated in her head to ‘what the hell’. Her smile faded as the next comment “ _Suka sranaya_ ,” translated as ‘fucking bitch’.

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “You’ve been out for ten minutes or more and gentler methods of bringing you out of it didn’t work.”

“Sorry. That hurt,” Natasha informed her.

“Yeah, well, I’m not used to moderating my new strength for humans yet. I was working with gods until this point.”

“Understood.” The agent hopped to her feet and assessed the situation. “This is bad.” Kat’s eyebrow rose and Romanov shrugged. “I have a gift for understatement, I know.” They watched the Hulk who was now using the Hydra personnel he grabbed as clubs against the others who were still shooting at him. “He’s got that well in hand.”

“Yeah, but what happens when he runs out of them and sees Loki?”

Natasha’s jaw dropped slightly. “That could be an issue. He won’t touch me, I’ll stand between them.” They turned to watch the young mage as she still tried to wake up Thor. “That’s not helping.” Looking around, she spotted Stark’s armor still hovering. “He’s out too?”

“Yep. Joyful, isn’t it?”

“Jarvis, try a low level electric shock to jolt Stark back to consciousness.”

“Yes, Ms. Romanov,” the AI replied over their earpieces.

“Son of a bitch, J! What was that for?” Stark bellowed almost instantly.

“You’ve been unconscious for eleven minutes and forty-five point three seconds, sir. Ms. Romanov suggested I wake you.” Kat couldn’t help laughing.

… …

“Great. Okay, what’s going…oh, shit.” Tony took in the scene surrounding them. “Okay, you,” he ordered, pointing at the little bitch in the red jacket who had blasted him with something just before he blacked out. “Try to wake up Captain America. You might have a ghost of a chance of registering on his subconscious. Stay away from Hawkeye, though, he’ll shove an arrow through your eye for catching him off-guard.” He strode over to Point Break. “Jarvis, how far can you send a light zap?”

“A maximum of one meter, sir.”

He blew out a breath. “Not very far, but it will have to do.”

“I can do better than that,” Loki offered. “Take this miscreant off of my hands. He cannot use his speed in these manacles, so you need only hold on to him.”

“Is that what the damn blur was? Crap. Are you two amped up with a super serum or do you have the X-mutation?” he asked as he reached out and took the kid by one arm. Loki stood, and accompanied by Natasha, made his way over to Thor.

“I do not know,” the punk said sullenly.

“Lie,” Loki called out.

“Okay, kid. Try again.”

“They used that thing on us with their machine,” he said, nodding towards the Scepter Ka-Maat held. “It killed the others, but we lived and we changed.”

“Huh. Bet it unlocked latent X-gene abilities,” Tony mused. “So who was in charge?”

The damn brat rolled his eyes. “A coward; called himself Baron von Strucker…Wolfgang von Strucker.”

“Stucker; why does that sound familiar?”

“He was one of ours, or so we thought,” Fury said over the comm. The old bastard had been so quiet Tony had forgotten he was still listening in.

“Cute.”

“Traitor,” the Boy Scout grumbled.

“Oh, you’re up. Have any weird dreams?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Yeah, me either.” By this time Loki had Thor on his feet, the Widow was calming the Big Guy down, and Ka-Maat had woken Barton. “We’ll talk about it later. Kid, where did von Strucker go?”

“No idea. He sent his men out to die and took off. Only reason he didn’t grab the Scepter was that the last person to try and pick it up burst into flames.”

“What?” Ka-Maat said, looking at the thing in horror.

The kid shrugged. “It kind of woke up after he used it on us.”

“Oka-ay. It stung a bit when I grabbed it, but that was all.”

Loki strolled up, wearing his trademark smirk. “You are a goddess, darling.”

“Is that what you call it?” the boy said. “I can’t keep Americanisms straight. Some say queen siz…” he broke off as Loki spun and glared at him. “What?”

“Think carefully before you insult my wife, child. Your youth will not save you from my wrath.”

“I was not.” The kid sighed. “I do not like this American English.”

… …

Loki turned away in time to see Barton charging at him. The human hit Ka-Maat’s shielding and bounced off. “What the fuck?”

“Shielding, remember? Also, I did nothing to you. Blame her,” he informed the archer tersely, jerking his head at the young woman in the red leather jacket.

Hawkeye glanced at the sullen girl who was now being detained by a visibly disturbed Thor and then turned his attention to the manacled youth. “You,” he informed the latter, “have a smart mouth on ya. Watch it before one of us decides to teach you some manners.”

“Seems like your kind of fellow,” Loki told him. “Your attitudes are equally wearing.”

“That’s rich, coming from you.”

“Enough,” Thor told them. “We have problems aplenty, do not create more.”

Wisdom from his brother? Very strange. “Agreed. You,” he said to the two youngsters. “Who are you and why were you with these creatures,” he asked with a glance at the downed forces of Hydra.

The two looked at each other and the girl shrugged. “I am Pietro Maximoff and this is my twin sister Wanda,” he began. “They promised us vengeance against _him_.”

Stark popped open his face plate and stared. “I don’t know either of you. What have you got against me?”

“You killed our parents!” the girl…Wanda shouted. “We were trapped for two days in the rubble staring at your bomb that hadn’t yet exploded!”

… …

“ _My_ bomb?”

“The words _Stark Industries_ are burned into our memories forever,” Pietro grumbled.

“Oh.” Tony sighed. “If it’s any consolation I was a victim of one of my own weapons. I was so clueless and trusting that I didn’t realize my mentor was dealing weapons to terrorists. Once I found out, I not only put a stop to it and him, I stopped manufacturing weapons entirely.”

“That doesn’t bring our parents back and it doesn’t give us back our childhood,” Wanda snarled.

“No, it doesn’t. The man who sold those weapons paid for his treachery with his life. I can understand you blaming me; it was my fault for trusting him and for being an irresponsible jerk and not looking at the business too closely. Mea culpa. I’m trying to make amends now; that’s what the suit and hanging with heroes and helping them is all about,” he continued, gesturing at Cap and Thor. “We want to stop people from hurting others so that everyone has a chance to live with less fear.”

“Not without fear?” Pietro said in a scathing tone.

“I’ll admit I was naïve before. I learned better. There’s always going to be something or someone to fear, no matter who you are or how powerful you become. That’s just life. I just want to get rid of the stuff that we’re too young as a race to handle wisely.”

“That would put you all back to your medieval times, Stark,” Loki commented.

“Ha-ha. Well, you’re dressed for it.”

“Unbelievable,” Rogers said with a glare at both of them.

“Someone needs to lighten the mood, Cap. So, do we take these two with us or…” he broke off as he discovered he was holding nothing and a blur shot across the space. Thor was also left with empty hands. “Damn it all!”

… …

Loki picked the manacles up off of the ground. “They are apparently, not proof against lock-picking,” he mused. “Ah, well. We’ll see them again, I imagine. We have what we came for, let us return to New York.”

“I’ll go move the Quinjet in closer,” Barton offered. “So we can load up all of the energy weapons easier.”

“Good idea,” Rogers agreed. “I’ll go with you, help you keep a watch out for that speedy son of a bitch.”

“Whoa ho ho!” Fury said over the comm. “You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“Oh for…I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”

Loki chuckled. “Unlikely,” he agreed. “Darling, what’s wrong?” he asked as Ka-Maat dropped gracelessly to the ground.

“This thing,” she muttered, staring at the Scepter. “It shut up when I told it to; why?”

His eyebrows lifted. That was extraordinary. “Well, your gifts from Isis are tied to the mind. I suppose that makes you uniquely qualified to handle it.”

“Can’t wait to get back so we can run some tests on that puppy,” Stark said.

“No!” Thor said, almost in unison with his own protest. Loki stared at the other god. “It is dangerous. More than you know.”

“More than they know,” he corrected. “I would have thought more than you know. What has changed?”

“I had a vision. Asgard was in ruins, and that, in part, is what had brought her to her knees. Is it all tied to the one you and your lady must face?” Thor asked.

“It is. Hmm. I would have thought that sending the Lotus Staff to Heliopolis would have mitigated the threat.”

“Wait, what threat?” Stark interrupted.

Loki sighed. “It is quite the tale, my friend. I will share it with all of you once we return to New York.”

… …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: At the end of Iron Man 3, Tony did something to stabilize the Extremis formula. Avengers, Age of Ultron does not touch on it and we don’t see Tony using it. We do see Tony without the glow of the arc reactor in his chest when he’s wearing civvies, courtesy of that final operating room scene in IM3, but that doesn’t happen often in AOU and they don’t come out and mention it so it’s easy to miss. I’m going to assume for this story that Pepper can still use the same power she used to rescue Tony in the final Iron Man 3 battle to protect herself. I have NOT had the opportunity to see Agents of Shield this season, so we’re AU with that storyline at this point.
> 
> Sorry for the delay, I had two chapters of Life, Avengers Style in me at once, so this one had to wait. I write as the muses direct…or cooperate. Hope it was worth waiting for even though there’s no smexy times in this one!


	29. Recounting the Stones

**Recounting the Stones**

“Before creation itself, there were six singularities, then the universe exploded into existence and the remnants of this system were forged into concentrated ingots... Infinity Stones. They appear as large gems of various colors, and hold unimaginable power,” Loki told them as they gathered in the observation lounge of Stark’s Tower. They’d lockedng the Scepter in a vault surrounded by an energy containment field that the genius had designed after his first encounter with the weapon.

“What do they do?” Dr. Banner asked.

“Each has a different basis of power, of purpose. You’ve now seen two of them, Jane Foster and her team have seen three and we know where a fourth now resides.”

“The Tesseract was one,” Fury guessed.

Tony nodded. “And the Scepter.”

“The Aether was an Infinity Gem?” Darcy asked.

“Yes. The Aether is now also held in Asgard; Odin plans to send it elsewhere lest the presence of two stones invite the attention of the Titan. It is, in its solid form, a red gem and controls reality. Malekith used it to twist the reality of his dying people into a pocket where they could survive in stasis until the gem surfaced again.”

“It has already been sent,” Fastný interjected. “Sif, Hogun and I delivered it to a secure location before Thor brought your…then betrothed to Asgard.”

 “Good. Now, both of the blue crystals used for the Tesseract and the Scepter were only containers for Infinity Gems. The crystals harness and focus the gems’ powers. The Tesseract, as you named it – Asgard calls it the Cosmic Cube, holds the Space Gem. Outside of its amplifying crystal it is still blue. Among other capabilities, it can create portals across vast distances. It was hidden on Midgard countless millennia ago. The crystal in the Scepter holds what is called the Mind Gem. It is a yellow stone that allows its master to read, subtly influence, or totally control another’s mind or, to a limited extent, to allow its master to exert a mind over matter type of control over his or her own form.”

“Were you controlled?” Romanov asked.

“To a point. I retained my autonomy despite what seemed to be years of torture, but I’m told was, in Asgard’s point of reality, only six months. It was all I could do to convince the Mad Titan and his lieutenant that I was following their directives rather than doing all I could to give Midgard the best chance to defend herself.”

“What would have happened if he’d found out?” Darcy asked, her eyes wide. Fastný, sitting beside her, snorted in derision.

“He would have ended me and would have found another puppet, one willing to believe his lies.”

“Lemme get this straight,” Fury said. “You’re saying you fucking _saved_ us from a worse invasion?”

“From a successful one, yes.”

… …

“This, and his plan and actions to save Jane Foster and Midgard from the wrath of Malekith the Accursed is why our father pardoned him,” Thor told the humans.

“ _Your_ father released me to Isis to pay his debt for his guards harming her priestess and to gain a necessary alliance with the Kemet,” Loki snarled. “Had he his way, I would be tortured for half a millennia, despite my part in saving his Queen by creating a duplicate of her while she created one of your beloved and then ending Malekith’s menace.”

“T’was only a threat to urge your lady to call upon her goddess; he would have found some excuse to pardon you thereafter.”

“I remain unconvinced.”

Thor shrugged. Bringing his brother and his father back to comfortable terms might never be possible. “I shall try no further to persuade you otherwise. I have neither the words nor the patience.” Loki simply glared at him. “Regardless; it is true, Loki’s actions both against the Titan and Malekith saved this world from more damage and more deaths than they caused and that is why he walks free…do not protest that, Loki. Think you Isis would have you for her favorite daughter were it otherwise?”

His brother’s mouth thinned. “No.”

“Even so.”

“Daughter? I thought she was a priestess and Isis just killed her so she could resurrect her as a goddess. What did I miss?” Stark asked.

Ka-Maat raised an eyebrow in Loki’s direction and he sighed. “If you wish, darling.”

“They might as well know the whole thing; otherwise people are going to think they can become gods or goddesses if they kiss enough ass.”

“Did I forget to instruct you to begin watching your language again?”

“Yes.”

“You should have done so as soon as the glamour was dropped.”

“What fun would that have been? You dropped it as soon as we found out the room was deserted.”

Loki glared at his bride while Thor tried to smother a chuckle. He was unsuccessful and Loki turned the sour look upon him. “It is humorous, Loki.”

“Ka-Maat,” he began in a quelling tone, turning to address the others, “was originally born more than four millennia ago in what you call Ancient Egypt. She was the literal daughter of Isis and a human priest of Osiris. Her birth was shrouded in secrecy and the priest took her to the Temple of Isis to be raised as the next High Priestess and Avatar of the goddess.”

Heads turned toward Ka-Maat who shrugged. “I only remember bits and pieces of my earliest lives,” she told them.

“Centuries later,” Loki continued. “The Pharaohs were supporting the cult of Ra over the legacy of Isis, even though they were said to hold the throne by her will. An army was assembled and attacked the main temple where Ka-Maat presided. Her guards were overwhelmed and she was killed.”

“Jesus,” Tony muttered. “Centuries?”

“She was half Kemet,” Thor reminded the genius. “Her natural lifespan should have been at least a millennia if not two.”

“More like four,” his sister by marriage interrupted. “Isis is much older than Odin and she’s about middle-aged for a Kemet.”

“When the gods first left Midgard, treaties were reached and while we’re not sure how or why as no one will speak of it, Asgard ended up with an artifact called the Lotus Staff in her treasury vault. It holds one of the Infinity Gems, a green one known as the Soul Gem. It can capture a soul, hold it in an alternate realm and then return it to a body…not necessarily the same one.”

“Uh…” Banner was looking alarmed.

Ka-Maat grinned at the man. “This allows them to repair even a fatally wounded body while preventing the soul from moving on and then returning it to its body once the body is fully functional again. It’s far easier than a true resurrection which is what they had to do for me this time. When my original body was killed the Kemet were weakened by a war and didn’t have the strength to do a true resurrection.  The best Isis could do was ensure I was reborn with my old abilities and some of my memories until such time as she could do more.”

“This time,” Fury said.

“Yep. Apparently there was some kind of prophesy, though of course, no one will clue us in.”

“Of course,” Fury spat. “Do they think we’re children?”

Thor chuckled and his brother smirked before telling the man: “They _know_ that you are children.”

… …

Nick had had enough of condescending crap from so-called gods. “Maybe they’re too goddamned old to appreciate that more information means we make better decisions. We don’t have hundreds of years to contemplate our actions. We’re lucky if we have a hundred hours sometimes.”

“Not this time,” Thor told him. “Even the prophesies to which I am privy…”

“Very few,” Loki interjected snidely.

“True. But even those are so far-reaching and can change on the smallest thing that having overmuch knowledge of them would be disastrous.” Loki nodded now at Thor’s words. If those two agreed on something…hell, Nick didn’t even want to think about it.

“It’s like what psychics do,” Ka-Maat said. “They can only tell you what will happen if you heed the warning signs and don’t make decisions totally out of character for you. They can also tell you what should happen if you change your mind based on advice from other persons and if it’s a good change, guide you to that other person, or warn you away from someone who would influence you in a bad way. But nothing is absolute.”

“Some things are absolute,” Loki chided. “It is the manner of arriving at them and the final results that are mutable.” His wife shrugged with a slight nod of agreement.

“Can you tell us what the absolute thing is?” Nick asked, putting a lid on his irritation.

“A personal invasion by the Mad Titan within my and Ka-Maat’s lifetime.”

“But not necessarily during ours?” he asked, circling his finger around to indicate the rest of the humans in the group.

“Correct. Though it most likely will be as both Frigga and Isis urged us to return here now. They are both gifted seers.” 

“That means we’re fucked.”

“No,” Thor told him. “It means we must all work together, Æs, Kemet, Jotun, and Human, to defeat this menace.”

Fastný smirked. “The one-eye was right; we _are_ fucked.”

… …

Darcy was really getting tired of the bitch’s negativity. She wacked the blonde woman’s shoulder. “If you can’t say anything productive, keep your mouth shut or next time we’re on the subway, I’ll fake you out about getting off and leave you in the station in the middle of gang territory.”

“I’m _so_ frightened.”

“The All-Father took your strength,” Loki said evenly. “You would be at the humans’ mercy. These gangs she speaks of are trained in street warfare.”

“Shit.” Ka-Ma-at clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at Loki. “Sorry, I just had an idea.”

“Go on,” tall, dark and hottie said. Darcy grinned at his no-nonsense tone.

“There are a lot of supers on this planet these days. Sure, most of them have small gifts, but some of them can be pretty radical, like those brats in Sokovia.”

“There’s a bunch of teams, too,” Darcy added. “Though most of them won’t work with the government. The Avengers were brought together by S.H.I.E.L.D., so they’re kind of an exception.”

“Such as?” Hottilicious asked.

“Well, there’s the X-Men, and they have a bunch of kids in training besides their adult team. The Fantastic Four are out there, though they try to stay out of everything. Oh, and there’s some young guy in a spider suit that shoots webs and is super strong, and that’s all in the New York area. Who knows what’s around in other areas or even other countries.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. knows-knew,” Nick Fury told them. “Not that the data is available anymore.”

“Bitter much, Nicky?” Tony asked. “J, you got S.H.I.E.L.D.’s data on other super groups?”

“Indeed, Sir. As well as on those who operate on the wrong side of the law.”

“All we have to do is get them all involved and we’ll have a kick-ahhh, really awesome army that the Titan could never expect,” Ka-Maat said.

“Kickass,” Darcy interpreted on the goddess’s behalf. Ka-Maat grinned at her. “Yeah, it would be if they all got along.”

“You do not believe they would put any enmity or jealousies aside to save the world they all call home?” Thor asked.

Darcy shrugged. “Some of them are bat-shit crazy.”

“Which is why we never offered to sponsor some of them,” Fury drawled.

… …

“But that’s not all of the resources we could pull in. There was an old movie in the late seventies that postulated about street gangs joining forces and taking over a city. In the end, they couldn’t get along well enough for that, but for the whole planet? I think they’d do it. There’s a lot of street fighters, martial artists, hell, even the drug cartels might leave off their crap for something like this. We need to spread the word. Maybe offer limited amnesty if any of them fight and survive and want to go straight?” Kat looked around the room. Romanov was frowning thoughtfully. Hawkeye looked amused. The others just seemed to be giving her ‘what the fuck are you thinking’ looks…except for Loki and Thor.

“We did that for a war against Jötunheim,” Thor said. “One of the heroes of that war was a former rebel warlord. He earned much honor and retired in peace once the war was over.”

Loki was nodding agreement. “It could work, but the offer must be made quietly and with firm rules. Each one who accepts it would remain watched thereafter and must abstain from all illegal acts or the amnesty is fully forfeit.”

“One problem,” Fury put in. “We have no one with the connections to convince the powers that be that this is a good idea.”

“We do have the platform,” Loki pointed out. “Thor, Ka-Maat and I are meeting ambassadors from around your world. They would have to be carefully cultivated before an idea like this was shared with them. Asgard and the Kemet would need to be prepared to offer each country something valuable to soften them up.”

“Crap. We’ll have to discuss this with Councilor Neriðr,” Kat muttered. “He’ll say no just because it isn’t his idea.”

“Then, my love, we make him believe that it was his idea all along,” Loki replied with a smug grin. “It is what I am best at.”

… …

“You said there were six of these Infinity Gems,” Romanov asked. “What do the two missing ones do?”

Loki frowned at the reminder. “The Power Gem is purple in hue and its power can generate enough force to destroy a planet.” His customary smirk returned as the human shuddered. “The Time Gem, as its name suggests, is said to be capable of reordering time and is orange in color. While research points to the Power Gem being used fairly recently, nothing has turned up to pinpoint the location of the Time Gem.”

“Well, it wouldn’t,” Stark said, sounding confident.

“No?” Loki knew where he was going with this, but he felt that the man deserved his moment for all of the aid he’d given him and Ka-Maat.

“If it reorders time, once it was used, no one would remember it being used because it never happened.”

“Excellent deduction. Stark is correct; that makes it all but impossible to trace. It will likely have to be stumbled upon unless one who exists outside of what we consider normal time manages to track it down.”

“Doesn’t your all-seeing, uh, Heimdall do that?” Rogers asked.

“No. He is all-seeing in his current time of existence. He cannot see the past or future.”

“Dandy,” Fury muttered.

Banner looked up at them, his expression concerned. “Um, am I misinterpreting something here or would it be a really bad idea to get all of these gems in the same place?”

“Monumentally disastrous. That is what the invasion was all about. The Mad Titan, the orchestrator of it, had the Mind Gem. He knew the Soul Gem was out of reach in Asgard. The Power Gem is outside of the Nine Realms and he has one of his loyal subjects seeking it out. Its recent use suggests that they found it. The Reality Gem, was undetectable, probably because it was trapped between Realms with Malekith. He knew that having five of the Gems would draw the sixth to him, so needed to retrieve the Space Gem from MIdgard.”

“But he still wouldn’t have…oh, wait.” Stark frowned as realization dawned. “If he had the Tesseract, he could get to Asgard to take the Soul Gem, and that would have given him three.”

“Four as Asgard still had the Lotus Staff at that time. He cared nothing for Midgard other than its possession of the Gem. He planned to sacrifice all seven billion of you to his goddess, Death.”

“Nuh uh, you told us that you were going to rule our planet,” Barton objected.

“That is what he wanted me to believe and what I had to say in order to keep him from discovering I opposed his plans.” He felt his lady’s soft hand grasp both of his and looked down to see he was twisting them together. “I will not speak further on this,” he told them, hating the weakness that slid through him. “Not now.”

“I need a nap,” Ka-Maat said petulantly. He looked into her eyes as he felt the lie. “Loki, take me to our suite please.”

“Of course, my love. Gentlemen, Ladies, good night.”

… …

“Drops a fucking bomb on us and disappears. Marvelous,” Nick groused.

“Give him a break, old man. He’s got PTSD bad and this had to have triggered a lot of shit,” Stark told him.

He narrowed his good eye and stared at the inventor. “Don’t tell me you believe he’s not bullshitting us?”

“I know the signs, okay? Afghanistan taught me a hell of a lot more than how to build an Arc Reactor. Ka-Maat gave him a realistic reason to bail on us so he could save face and deal with an anxiety attack in private.”

“I don’t think he’s faking it either,” the Widow said quietly. “And I, for one, don’t want to see Loki have a public breakdown while I’m within reach.”

“Shi-it.” He scrubbed his face with his hands and blew out a frustrated breath. Yeah, he understood PTSD, hell, he had a heavy dose of it himself. He’d just figured the crazy bastard was lying about it to get away with shit. “Thor, he’s your brother. What do you think?”

The blonde sighed deeply. “I do not know this PTSD, but I do know and did see signs that Loki was losing control. That is something none of us should wish to experience.”

… …

As she suspected Loki shifted them right to their play room in the Tower. She immediately assumed a fully submissive position and watched him through a curtain of her hair as he paced. Finally, Loki threw himself into the throne-like chair and gave her a brooding look. “Do not patronize me,” he sneered. “You are no submissive slave.”

“No,” Kat replied, not raising her head. “But I love you and I am yours, always.”

He stood and reached down for her elbows, drawing her to her feet, banishing their clothing in the process. “And should I demand your full and absolute submission at this moment?”

“Anything you need from me is yours, Loki. I love you and trust you.”

Hard arms closed around her, all but crushing her to his chest. “Once again you undo me, my sweet toy.” Kat remained silent, pressing her cheek against his cool skin, waiting for him to decide how he wanted to use her to regain his control. Loki moved, rather suddenly, scooped her up and carried her over to the wall where he reached for a lever that would cause a Saint Andrew’s cross to slide out for use. He hesitated, and then let his hand fall back to rest on her back. “No.”

“Loki?” Kat gasped as she found herself in their bedroom at the Embassy.

“I’m stronger than that,” he said as he laid her down gently on their bed. “ _We’re_ stronger than that. You bring me peace, my dearest wife.”

She pouted and raised her face for his atypically gentle kiss. “Does this mean I’m not going to get any orgasms?”

Loki laughed outright. “You, my dear, are incorrigible.”

… …

“Fine, so he’s not faking it. Now what?”

Tony tried not to roll his eyes at Fury’s frustrated tone. Hell, they were all frustrated. “We have the Mind Gem and that Titan will be coming for it through conventional space travel since Asgard has the Space Gem secured. Bruce and I had done preliminary readings on the Scepter back when we last had Loki in custody. There’s a huge amount of potential in that thing. Maybe, just maybe, we can exploit that potential and find a way to protect Earth from the bad aliens without having to depend on the, uh, not as bad aliens.”

He-Man’s eyebrows rose. “Not as bad? My friend that could be taken as an insult by one less forbearing than myself.”

“Sorry, but not sorry. We’ve had a mess on our hands since the All-Daddy dumped you here to teach you a lesson a few years back.”

“Granted, but…”

“Hey,” Darcy interrupted, loudly. “We’ve only known a few of you guys from the other Realms thing and seriously, dude, it’s been half and half.”

You could practically see the gears working behind the big blonde’s eyes. “Malekith,” he spat. “Yes, I understand.”

“Well, and the bitch-Romeo-wanna-be, here.” Darcy turned a pointed glare in Fastný’s direction.

“Okay, can the editorial,” Fury groused. “What did you have in mind, Stark?”

“An AI driven planetary defense system. That thing,” he continued, gesturing at the holographic image of the Scepter that popped up, has properties that emulate an advanced version of JARVIS. What if we could use that potential to serve as a warning system intelligent enough to separate natural phenomena from something built by an intelligent race and to bring up a comprehensive defense system to prevent it from using any weapons on us?”

“Go on.”

“I’ve given this a lot of thought since I went through that portal. I just didn’t have the vision for upgrading the complexity of my AI programming until I revisited our scans. With that thing at hand, I just might be able to swing it.”

“No,” Thor interrupted. “Loki and I told you it is too dangerous to use.”

“Chill out; I’m not going to use it, I’m going to examine it and take inspiration from it. I don’t use other people’s crap. That would be like asking Hammer Industries to make me a new suit. I haven’t been suicidal for over a few years now.”

He waited while the god considered his explanation. “That…very well. But do not, under any circumstances, attempt to invoke its power. That would surely bring destruction upon us all.”

Considering he hadn’t a clue how to invoke the damn thing that was an easy promise to make. “Of course not. No invoking, right Brucie?”

Banner frowned at him. “I’ll keep a close eye on him, Thor. I promise.”

“Hey!”

“Tony, you know you get carried away sometimes and throw every caution you’ve sworn to take to the wind.”

“Well, um…I guess I can’t argue that. Son of a bitch.”

… …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First sentence is lifted in its entirety from Guardians of the Galaxy though it is spoken there by another character. We also know from that film that the soul and time gems are orange and green…I’m not sure in which order as I have yet to see it, and the others are colored as noted in this chapter. I have decided the soul gem is green and time is orange for my AU. I’ve also altered my precepts a bit. Thor TDW did happen, but Loki had not been imprisoned so Frigga did not die and approved Loki and Thor to go after Malekith. Loki did not appear to die in that venture and when they returned, Odin sent him and Thor to Las Vegas after the Aether was captured and before he sent it off world with Sif and company. Why? For some damn reason the characters have been shouting that it happened, just not the way Marvel portrayed it in that movie. Sigh.


End file.
